HAVE A VISIONARY IDEA?

Luminate is the only international investment fund and startup accelerator focused solely on next-generation optics, photonics, and imaging (OPI). Located in Rochester, NY — the optics and imaging capital of the world — Luminate brings visionary entrepreneurs from around the globe together for a hybrid 6-month business accelerator program that’s primarily remote with select weeks in-person for instruction, events, or meetings. During their time in Luminate, companies connect with OPI pioneers and qualified investors to speed innovation and time to market. We also provide early-stage companies with the capital necessary to further develop their technologies, including up to $100,000 upon program acceptance, and a chance to win up to $2 million in follow-on funding.

You’ve identified the market need and have demonstrated proof-of-concept. Now you need help bringing your product to market. That’s where Luminate comes in.

We help you succeed with capital, connections, and a community of resources. Each accepted company will receive up to $100,000 in a convertible note and is eligible for follow-on investments. Our team will work closely with you to help make your company a success. We’ll connect you with our world-class advisors and partners so you can take advantage of their expertise and networks, and you’ll have opportunities to pitch to 30+ investors throughout your time in the accelerator, including Samsung, Sony, Corning, J&J, and Launchpad Ventures Boston.

We’ll help you identify and get in front of customers and make introductions to the vast network of suppliers and potential partners within the Rochester, NY region. You’ll become a part of the Rochester optics and imaging community, and the entrepreneurial community at Sibley Square. Each program participant that is able to participate in person will be provided with working space, as well as access to the Luminate Optical Lab, NextCorps Prototyping Lab, and equipment and labs through local partners. We’ll also hold community and networking events, so you can grow your network.

Throughout the program, we’ll provide you with the resources, knowledge, and connections you need to succeed, as well as give you opportunities to hone your story. At the end of the program, participants will pitch at Luminate Finals and compete for a portion of $2 million in follow-on funding.

Rochester has long been the world’s optics and imaging capital. The Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester was the first optical educational institute in the United States and has granted nearly 50 percent of the optics degrees in the country. Similarly, the Optical Society of America (now Optica) was founded in Rochester.

With an economy built upon companies like Xerox, Eastman Kodak, Corning, and Bausch & Lomb, optics and instrumentation are deeply ingrained in the region’s ecosystem. The area enjoys a strong optical workforce along with a culture of collaboration, both among industry and academia, and among companies working in different segments of the value chain. The local photonics cluster has more than 100 member companies, and Rochester has perhaps the most robust optics, photonics, and imaging supply chains in the country. The federal government recognized Rochester’s strength in photonics in 2015 when it selected Rochester to be the headquarters of the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics.

In 2016, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the world’s two leading optical regions, Jena, Germany and Rochester, NY, to facilitate increased collaboration. We believe that Rochester provides tremendous opportunities for entrepreneurs working with optics and photonics, and our program participants will leverage these opportunities to help accelerate the development of their companies.

Applications are currently closed. Applications were due for cohort 6 on January 9, 2023, and will re-open for cohort 7 in the Fall of 2023. The application is hosted through F6S and takes less than 30 minutes to complete.

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The Rochester ecosystem can be very beneficial to startup companies, especially those in the optics industry. We also believe extended incubation can help your company succeed. Companies accepting follow-on funding are required to remain in Rochester following the investment. All program participants are welcome to stay at the NextCorps incubator at Sibley Square headquarters through the end of the calendar year as well.

Luminate works with companies from around the world that are solving difficult and high-impact problems with innovative technologies. We are looking for startups that have already proven their technologies at least at lab scale and are ready to take the next step. Companies must be incorporated and must have a team of at least two members committed full-time to the task of commercializing their technology.

We are targeting next-generation optics, photonics, and imaging-enabled applications such as augmented and virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, machine vision, biophotonic devices, and quantum computing.

Applications are currently closed. Applications were due for cohort 6 on January 9, 2023, and will re-open for cohort 7 in the Fall of 2023. Subscribe to The Lens for monthly Luminate updates, including alerts on application windows.

No. We accept teams worldwide, with recent follow-on funding recipients from Germany, Spain, Denmark, and the U.S. However, you must be eligible to work in the U.S. to compete in Luminate.