Soltech Solutions

A Growing Startup: Meet the Innovators Behind Soltech Solutions

“Owning a startup is definitely a challenging lifestyle. You really learn a lot about yourself when the going gets tough,” says Chris, co-founder of Soltech Solutions.

Five years ago, he and his fellow co-founders, Paul and Mike, started a nonprofit organization named Solar for Academics, Inc. While developing technology for that nonprofit, the three seized an opportunity to venture into creating lights designed specifically for growing food indoors.

After two years of research, the team realized that a vast majority of grow lights on the market displayed eye-jarring spectra, from purple to green to red, and thus they found their niche: a grow light that can grow anything, but under a light that matches the quality of museums for its mellow, clear display.

The three got to work and created The Aspect, a luxury grow light that not only encourages the green type of lifestyle Soltech embodies, but encourages it in style.

As Soltech describes it, “It is the first grow light developed specifically for interior design, allowing you to grow whatever plant you want wherever you want while aesthetically enhancing any indoor space.”

What’s more, the magically warm, yellow light ranks 97/100 for true color display, so every plant highlighted becomes art rather than something to hide in a closet. Once they developed the prototype for The Aspect, they just had to find funding to establish the roots of their company, and so they used the best resource they knew for such a task: Kickstarter.

As a company that manufactures and sells renewable energy and energy-efficient products, Soltech had a lot to offer, but starting from the ground up isn’t easy.

“Thankfully, the dark days are over, but over the past 5 years there have been times where you want to quit and look for a different path,” says Chris.

They were able to fully fund their startup through the crowd-sourcing platform, but resources were still tight, and they needed packaging that fit their volume needs as well as their bottom line.

“Talking with the BoxUp team, they seemed to realize what it takes to be a successful startup and really helped us out,” Chris says.

Soltech uses BoxUp boxes to ship The Aspect, and it’s been critical to their success with the lovely light. “Besides the price, the turn-around is the most impressive aspect of the process.”

The three cofounders have grown Soltech into a successful company now housed within a newer, bigger office than where they started.

Chris’ favorite part of his job? “Creating a product from scratch that people genuinely enjoy,” he says.

With two interns added to the team, they are able to work together in a laid-back environment made even more comfortable by the presence of over 30 plants, staying true to the green mission underlying Soltech’s goals. He and his co-founders are looking forward to seeing Soltech, like the plants it helps grow, flourish:

“We all stayed together through these 5 years, and the hard work is paying off.”

Check out the Aspect and other Soltech Solutions accessories on their website here.

“We all stayed together through these 5 years, and the hard work is paying off.”CHRISSOLTECH CO-FOUNDER