Our CEO, Dr Yann Tissot, wasa guest on FiveCo's podcast. Entrepreneurship, the early days of L.E.S.S. SA,the adoption of new technologies and company culture: he shares, with nofilter, what it really takes to turn an idea into an innovation that pushes theboundaries of lighting for industrial vision.
▶️ Watchthe full episode on our YouTube channel
From a dismantled phone to the founding of L.E.S.S. SA
After graduating inmicroengineering from EPFL, where he went on to complete a PhD sponsored byIntel, Yann Tissot first worked in the space industry on optical communicationbetween satellites and ground stations. He then joined the start-up Optotune.
It was there, while takingmobile phones apart, that he discovered how their screens were backlit. He wasimmediately convinced that the fibre-based technology he had developed duringhis PhD could do much better. With the support of an EPFL Innogrant, helaunched L.E.S.S. SA in 2012. The first products reached the market in 2015.
“Everyone wants innovation, but nobody wants to change”
For Yann Tissot, innovation isfirst and foremost a mindset: refusing the status quo and thinking outside thebox to solve a problem. But great technology is not enough. You have to guidethe customer all the way to adoption.
He learned this during his veryfirst presentation to a watchmaker. Uniform light, less eye strain, defectsspotted faster thanks to the directionality of this new light: he had everyargument ready. The operator's reply? Her chair was too low. A lesson he hasnever forgotten: innovating also means changing habits.
In automotive, the challenge isof a different kind: strict standards, heavy validation processes and tightcosts. There, innovation goes through designers and through aligning everyplayer, from the brand to the integrator.
A right to make mistakes, never to stand still
At L.E.S.S. SA, mistakes areallowed: we debrief and realign. However, “it's not possible” is never ananswer. When faced with a roadblock, we break down the impossible until we finda solution. Always coming forward with proposals is at the heart of ourculture.
Innovation in one word: nonconformism
During his military service, anexasperated officer snapped at him: “You are a nonconformist!” An insult forone, the finest compliment for the other. For Yann Tissot, it is the bestdefinition of innovation: nonconformism is what lets you step outside the boxto find a solution to a problem.
Thank you, FiveCo
A big thank you to FiveCo and their team for the invitation andfor our collaboration built on trust.
🎥 Watchthe full interview on YouTube
Directed, filmed and edited byOlivier Lübkemann - 2ndfloor Productions