Bloemteknik receives £700k funding to accelerate autonomous greenhouse growing

Cardiff-based LED lighting provider Bloemteknik has secured an Innovate UK-supported R&D project with a total value exceeding £707,000 through the Investor Partnership Programme, supporting the continued development of its autonomous lighting platform, GreenFingers.

Founded in 2023 by two former leaders from global innovation and technology company GE, Bloem has rapidly scaled to become a trusted supplier of horticultural lighting, with more than 25,000 LED fixtures deployed across multiple international markets. Its modular lighting systems are tailored to specific crop types and growing environments, enabling growers to improve efficiency, boost productivity, and achieve consistent outcomes.

The Innovate UK funding will support further advancements of GreenFingers, Bloem's self-optimising lighting control platform. GreenFingers continuously analyses canopy-level plant and environmental data to generate productivity and energy-efficiency insights, which are applied autonomously through real-time LED control actions. The result is consistent daily light integral (DLI), reduced energy waste, and a more balanced cultivation environment—without manual grower intervention.

© Bloemteknik

The Innovate UK award follows a £2.5 million equity investment into Bloem by regional private equity and infrastructure investment manager Foresight Group, made through the British Business Bank's Investment Fund for Wales (IFW) and Foresight's Growth VCTs. The Investment Fund for Wales was launched in November 2023 to increase access to early-stage finance for SMEs across Wales, with Foresight appointed to manage equity investments of up to £5 million.

James Fleet, CEO of Bloem, said: "The Innovate UK funding is a major milestone for Bloem and a strong validation of the technology we're building. It allows us to push GreenFingers further—deepening the intelligence of the platform and delivering even greater value to growers. Combined with Foresight's backing, it has enabled us to move faster from innovation to real-world impact."