Luminate Investor Summit 2023

GOOD IDEAS CAN BE BORN ANYWHERE. BUT MOST REQUIRE A SPECIAL PLACE TO TAKE OFF.

As the world’s largest accelerator for startups working on optics-, photonics-, and imaging-enabled applications (OPI), Luminate offers an incomparable environment for growth. Nestled in the middle of the Finger Lakes Region —long recognized as the imaging capital of the world—Luminate taps into an ecosystem rich with scientists, universities, precision manufacturers, and investors to help companies speed the commercialization of their ideas.

Each year, Luminate accepts 10 companies into the program, and provides them with $100,000 in funding and the chance to compete later for up to $2 million. This opportunity also comes with comprehensive support, from mentors seasoned in OPI and how to run a business, to access to labs, investors, and regional resources.

Interested startups can learn more by registering for an upcoming info session at luminate.org/cohort-7-info-sessions or apply to the program at luminate.org/apply by by January 8, 2024.

Luminate is a $45 million competitive program funded by Empire State Development’s Finger Lakes Forward Initiative. The program is administered by NextCorps, and supported by a host of participating partners.

Since joining Luminate, we have raised over $5M in new funding. The program has been instrumental in our growth.”

DIMITRI CHERNYAK, CEO, INTELON OPTICS COHORT 1 $500K RECIPIENT

luminate’s portfolio of companies

The Luminate portfolio of companies spans multiple industries and currently has an estimated value of $650 million. If you’d like an introduction, please contact Damon.Diehl@NextCorps.org.

AgTech & Clean Tech/Energy

AquaRealTime

EmGenisys

Labby

Nordetect

Andluca Technologies

Infrascreen

Mesodyne

QD Solar

SaNoor Technologies

SunDensity

Materials & Metrology

Arovia

Layer Metrics

Lidrotec

MEETOPTICS

Momentum Optics

Mosaic Microsystems

NanoPattern Technologies

Norcon Technologies

Opalux

PlanOpSim

Med & Biotech

Akknatek

Alertgy

Augmentiqs

Custom Surgical

Digiteyez

Double Helix Optics

Dynocardia

ExPrimary

Intelon

LighTopTech

Lumedica Vision

Organic Robotics (Llume)

Ovitz

QART Medical

Rubitection

Think BioSolution

VPG Medical

2EyesVision

Quantum & Communications

Axion Technologies

Haqean

LightSpeed Photonics

Photonect Interconnect Solutions

Quantopticon

Quantune Technologies

Qunnect

Swave Photonics

Transportation & Security

Archangel Imaging

Bounce Imaging

Circle Optics

Oculi

One Silicon Chip Photonics

Owl Autonomous Imaging

PreAct Technologies

SCOUT

Stratio

Tarsier Optics

cohort 6

AQUAREALTIME

Advancing global water sustainability through informed decisions

AquaRealTime (ART) stands at the forefront of environmental protection. As water quality deteriorates rapidly around the world, causing $50 billion of damage annually, ART’s AlgaeTracker provides a simple, scalable solution for critical early warning and monitoring of harmful algae blooms and pollutants in vast water assets. The all-in-one system is turnkey, from the water to the cloud. By combining all hardware, software, and cellular connection into a streamlined unit, AlgaeTrackers can be deployed in 30 minutes, giving stakeholders a 24/7 lens into all their water assets in one central location.

Christopher Lee, CEO | Boulder, Colorado aquarealtime.com

DIGITEYEZ

Digitizing the vision industry to deliver eyecare on demand

Digiteyez has developed Clear, a quick and easy online eye test that customers can take anywhere, from any device. Digiteyez’s patented platform and eye models capture three times more indicators about human vision than traditional tests, indicators that not only track sight progression accurately, but also predict vision decline and detect eye diseases early. Digiteyez’s approach merges optical physics, visual science, digital optometry, and AI to deliver precise and affordable eye test results, giving optical professionals an efficient tool for remote eyecare management. This blend of technology and human expertise is set to transform eyecare into a comprehensive, accessible model and create a new standard for the future of vision health, while simultaneously powering growth and increased revenues for the eyewear sector.

Brandon Zimmerman, CEO | Washington, District of Columbia cleareyetest.com

NANOPATTERN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Shaping tomorrow’s screens today

NanoPattern Technologies is transforming display manufacturing with its patented chemistry and quantum dot ink. Imagine a world where your smartphone or smartwatch could last a month on a single battery charge. Display manufacturers are able to make versions of these energy-efficient displays for low-resolution devices like TVs but not for portable devices like smartphones and wearables. NanoPattern empowers display manufacturers to create high-resolution screens with enhanced sustainability, catering to the needs of smartphones, wearables, and AR/VR applications. Smartwatches enabled by NanoPattern’s technology can last 30 days on a single charge, thanks to the extreme energy efficiency.

Yu Kambe, CEO | Chicago, Illinois

nanopatterntechnologies.com

NORCON TECHNOLOGIES

Making 3D mapping faster, more accurate, and less expensive

Norcon Technologies’ optics make 3D depth imagers more powerful with components that multiply their performance, dramatically reducing size, cost, and weight. Depth imaging sensors—such as 3D scanners and LiDARs—are used in applications such as mapping interior spaces, eye tracking, facial recognition, autonomous navigation, and industrial security. Norcon’s breakthrough solution solves a key challenge in depth imaging—the need for lenses and other optical components that are optimized for the infrared spectrum in which these sensors actually operate. Compared to current optics, depth imagers using Norcon’s components scan faster and detect further, while being smaller, less expensive, and lighter. These benefits are propelling the industry towards greater accessibility, ease of use, and affordability.

Jay Liebowitz, CEO | Tucson, Arizona norcontech.com

OCULI

Putting the eye in AI

Oculi is redefining computer and machine vision with the world’s first smart programmable vision sensor, the Oculi SPU™ (Sensing and Processing Unit). It combines the efficiency of biology—more specifically the human eye—and the speed of machines to make computer vision faster and more efficient. By embedding intelligence in the sensor at the pixel level, the innovative chip has the power to transform smart devices across homes, offices, and vehicles. Its integrated sensing and processing module minimizes data transmission, slashing power consumption and latency. Operating 30 times faster while ensuring privacy, security, and budget efficiency, Oculi’s SPU is ideal for visual intelligence at the edge, such as gesture tracking, facial recognition, and low-latency eye-tracking.

Charbel Rizk, CEO | Baltimore, Maryland oculi.ai

PHOTONECT INTERCONNECT SOLUTIONS

Upending a glue-based market with laser technology

Photonect is reshaping the future of optical fiber to photonic chip connections. Within each optical transceiver, an optical fiber the size of a single human hair must be attached to a photonic chip. The razor-thin size of an optical fiber makes it difficult to precisely connect it to a chip and improper placement reduces its performance and increases power consumption. Photonect’s innovative technique replaces traditional glue with lasers to solve a key problem—connection accuracy and efficiency. The technique can significantly lower data centers’ power consumption at half the cost and 10 times the speed of glue-based adhesion methods, while increasing signal performance 4x.

Juniyali Nauriyal, CEO | Rochester, New York photonectcorp.com

PLANOPSIM

Ushering in the age of meta-surfaces

PlanOpSim is helping R&D teams solve complicated design and integration problems by providing a single workflow design software for planar and meta-optics. The team’s expertise in numerical modeling led to the development of groundbreaking software that streamlines the design of meta-lenses. Most traditional lens designs use a convex or concave shape to focus or expand the light beam. Because of this, traditional lenses are often bulky, and heavy parts in a world looking for ever smaller devices don’t match with our changing needs. Meta-lenses are tiny optical elements composed of artificial antennas that can manipulate light—just like traditional lenses—but are thinner than a sheet of paper. PlanOpSim’s software empowers engineers and scientists to navigate this arena with precision, unlocking the true potential of meta-lenses.

Lieven Penninck, CEO | Melle, Belgium planopsim.com

QART MEDICAL

Enabling highly informed sperm selection to dramatically improve IVF success

QART Medical’s breakthrough product is positioned to reshape the practice of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) by providing embryologists with deep, objective, and quantitative information into individual sperm cells that are to be injected into the oocytes (eggs). With proprietary holographic imaging, machine vision, and cutting-edge image processing algorithms, QART characterizes the properties of individual sperm cells relative to consensus world-health-organization criteria in real-time. This is evidence-based medicine in male fertility, at its best.

Alon Shalev, CEO | Raanana, Israel qart-medical.com

QUANTUNE TECHNOLOGIES

Democratizing mid-infrared spectroscopy to bring lab-grade analytics to everyday life

Quantune is commercializing the world’s first chip-sized laser spectrometer, operating in the mid-infrared spectral range known as the “molecular fingerprint region.” This technology miniaturizes large laboratory equipment for molecular analysis into a compact, accessible module that allows for novel applications beyond the confines of a lab. In the context of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), it enables real-time monitoring and analysis of chemical compounds and emissions, allowing for proactive optimization of industrial processes, reducing downtime, and enhancing efficiency. In healthcare, another key application, the compact spectrometer enables non-invasive monitoring of molecular biomarkers through the skin with exceptional sensitivity. It has the potential to shift healthcare from a reactive to a proactive model, empowering individuals and caregivers to take preventive measures for better health outcomes.

Nikolaus Hahne, Jan Kischkat, co-CEOs | Berlin, Germany quantune.com

SWAVE PHOTONICS

Breathing life into augmented reality with true holographic displays

Swave Photonics is transforming how augmented and virtual reality are experienced. Pioneers of the world’s first dynamic holographic display chip, Swave is able to manipulate billions of pixels, allowing for the creation of digital holograms while dramatically reducing the complexity, cost, and discomfort with existing solutions. Its Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) technology, fabricated with standard semiconductor processes, provides ultra-high-resolution 3D images that blur the lines between the real and virtual worlds. With an innovative approach that empowers mobile device and display manufacturers, alongside visionary content creators, Swave is reshaping the landscape of display, entertainment, and communication markets.

Mike Noonen, CEO | Leuven, Belgium swave.io

regional participants

Two companies participated in Luminate in 2023 to gain access to regional resources. While they were not eligible to compete in Finals 2023, their program involvement and contributions deserve recognition.

ARCHANGEL IMAGING

Elevating protection through intelligent collaboration

Archangel Imaging deploys smart machines alongside people to protect valuable remote assets and vulnerable personnel even in the most remote and demanding environments. Navigating remote operations can be a difficult task, whether it involves operating drone patrols across marine reserves, or monitoring static energy installations. The success lies in the efficacy of the underlying infrastructure orchestrating responsive actions. While modern machines largely serve as tools, Archangel Imaging redefines their role, offering a comprehensive range of software and hardware solutions that enable machines to be reliable teammates.

Dan Sola, CEO | Oxford England; Syracuse, NY archangel.im

LABBY INC.

Empowering dairy farms with real-time milk insights for healthier herds

Labby is leading a transformation in the milk testing landscape. The dairy sector has traditionally relied on milk testing to ensure milk quality, animal well-being, and farm profitability. Yet, the traditional lab-centric testing technologies are slow and infrequent, leading to delayed detection of animal diseases, decreased milk yield production, and a rise in antibiotic use. Labby offers a swift and precise on-farm milk testing solution, employing cutting-edge hardware, proprietary software, and AI technology. The system leverages non-invasive optical spectroscopy to analyze the interactions between light and milk at a

molecular level, enabling real-time quantification of milk fat, protein, and cell count information. Such reliable and accurate readings ensure that only the highest quality milk reaches the market, thereby maintaining the dairy’s reputation and bolstering consumer trust.

Julia Somerdin, CEO | Cambridge, Massachusetts labbyinc.com

thank you to our funder

thank you to our program partners and sponsors

AIM Photonics

Cornell County of Monroe

Greater Rochester Enterprise

IEEE

IMAX

Hamamatsu Ventures

Mitsubishi

Monroe Community College

New York Photonics

Optica

Qubits Ventures

Rochester Chamber of Commerce

Rochester Institute of Technology

SCHOTT

Silicon Catalyst

Sony

SPIE

Thor Labs

University of Rochester

Zeiss