As we head into the season of reflection, we’ve been thinking about what we’re grateful for at Luminate. This year brought another successful cohort to the finish line, bringing our portfolio to 85 companies with a combined estimated value of $700M. We welcomed new strategic partnerships—including a collaboration with PhotonDelta—and added new voices to our board of advisors. Luminate’s global reputation continues to grow, and none of this would be possible without our incredible community of founders, partners, and supporters.
Thank you for being part of this journey—there’s a lot to celebrate, and even more to look forward to.
The next chapter starts here
Curious about Luminate and what it takes to join our accelerator? Upcoming info sessions are the perfect opportunity to hear from our team and alumni about what makes an application stand out and what participating in the world’s largest OPI-focused accelerator looks like. Our next session is December 10, where founders from the last cohort will share their perspective on how Luminate helped them grow.
If you already know Luminate is the right fit, don’t wait! Startups selected for cohort 9 receive $100,000 at program start, and gain access to deep technical expertise, experienced mentors, 30+ investors, and Rochester’s unmatched OPI ecosystem. Plus, founders wrap up the program with the opportunity to compete for up to $1 million in follow-on funding at Finals.
Portfolio wins
EmGenisys won the inaugural ASRM INNOVATE Pitch Tank Competition, taking home $10K for its AI-powered embryo assessment system that improves IVF pregnancy rates in livestock. The team is now partnering with a human IVF specialist to explore how the same technology can be applied in human fertility care. (Pictured)
Swave Photonics was named a CES 2026 Innovation Award Honoree in the XR & Spatial Computing category for its Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) Spatial Light Modulator. The program received a record number of submissions—over 3,600.
Swave CEO, Mike Noonen, also spoke at the Global Semiconductor Alliance Asia Pacific Executive Forum on the emerging era of AI, spatial computing, and tunable photonics.
Momentum Optics was selected as a finalist for the 2026 SPIE Prism Awards in the Optical Materials and Components category. Winners will be announced at Photonics West in January.
iLoF was featured on national television, RTP2’s Sociedade Civil, where Head of Strategy & Partnerships, Sara Rocha, discussed how the company combines AI and photonics to accelerate precise, earlier treatment development as part of its growing work across neurodegeneration and oncology.
Stratio, Inc. participated in the 2025 Pangyo Global Media Meet-Up, showcasing its germanium-based SWIR sensor platform and its Infrared AI strategy for transforming material analysis, recycling te chnologies, and industrial data applications. The company is expanding globally with new pilot programs in North America, Europe, and Asia. (Pictured: Stratio CEO, Jaehyung James Lee)
Qunnect and Roadrunner Venture Studios launched ABQ-Net, New Mexico’s first quantum network, providing open-access entanglement infrastructure to support testing and commercialization across the state’s growing quantum ecosystem.
Duncan T. Moore named Optica Honorary Member
Luminate Board Member, Dr. Duncan T. Moore, has been named an Optica Honorary Member—the society’s highest recognition—for his pioneering contributions to gradient-index optics, leadership in public policy, and decades of service to the global optics community. A former Director of the Institute of Optics, Dean at the University of Rochester, and founder of Gradient Lens Corporation, Moore has shaped optical engineering, national science policy, and workforce development for more than 50 years. His achievements include chairing the Hubble Independent Optical Review Panel and serving as Associate Director for Technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Events & opportunities
NSF I-Corps SPIE Optics & Photonics Course
Applications due November 26, 2025
Working on an optics or photonics innovation? Apply to the NSF I-Corps SPIE Optics & Photonics Course—a hybrid program designed to take your research from the lab to real customer conversations at Photonics West in San Francisco. Accepted teams receive up to $5,000 in travel funding.
ChargeUp Accelerator Cohort 3 Applications
Applications now open
ChargeUp is a 6-month accelerator for startups developing next-gen battery and energy storage solutions. The program provides $25,000, hands-on curriculum, and dedicated mentors to advance commercialization and investor readiness.
A Hands-On Introduction to Optics at Photonics West 2026
January 19, 2026 | 1:30 PM PST
Luminate’s Director of Technology Integration, Dr. Damon Diehl, will lead a workshop at Photonics West designed to help participants build an intuitive understanding of optical fundamentals—wavelength, refraction, dispersion, diffraction, and interference. Attendees will work directly with optical components and apply concepts to instruments like lasers and interferometers, with the course serving as a foundation for more advanced industry topics.