Join us in person or online for Luminate Finals 2022 as startups from around the world introduce their innovations and pitch for up to $2 million in follow-on funding. Vote for your favorite startup to help them take home the Audience Choice Award and $10,000 cash. Plus, hear from keynote speaker Michal Lipson, decorated physicist known for her work in the field of silicon photonics. At Luminate, we get a close-up look at emerging technologies that have the potential to shake up the status quo. Now it’s your turn to glimpse into the future and see what’s coming up in aerospace, clean tech, healthcare, quantum, and other industries. In-person tickets are limited, so register soon! Regional Investor Week Recap The startups of cohort 5 met with investors from across the Finger Lakes region earlier this month, and some offered on-the-spot critique to help strengthen our startup teams’ pitches. Thank you to the following groups and individuals for sharing your time and expertise: Corning Incorporated Derby Management Empire State Development Excell Partners Jack Greco Skull Diamond and Heart Capital, LLC Days spent in conference rooms were balanced by nights on the town. We took cohort 5 teams to ride the rides

When companies in the Luminate portfolio make progress, our whole region moves forward. Owl AI — an autonomous imaging company focused on improving pedestrian safety — is expanding its operations in Monroe County in the Town of Perinton and committing to create up to 105 high-technology jobs in the region. Owl was a member of Luminate’s fourth cohort, took home $250K in follow-on funding at last year’s Finals competition, and recently closed a $15 million Series A financing round. “Owl AI exemplifies an emerging company in the Finger Lakes Region that is developing revolutionary technology using optics and semiconductors,” said Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan, Luminate’s Managing Director. “The company and its team is well positioned to shape the future of vehicular imaging.” Pitching Investors at Sony As a program sponsor, Sony gets a first look at our startup teams and their solutions. Earlier this month, cohort 5 companies gave virtual pitches to senior directors on the venture and technology side at Sony — gatekeepers who can facilitate future introductions within the organization. Some startups have already secured follow-up meetings, and there will be plenty of chances for fruitful connections in the coming months. A spot in the Luminate accelerator comes with

Cohort 5 had a busy month of seminars, advisor meetings, facility tours, and balancing business as usual with their involvement in the accelerator. But all work and no play isn’t the Luminate way, especially with so much happening in downtown Rochester in the summer. The teams’ recent visit coincided with the Rochester International Jazz Festival, which had been postponed four times due to the pandemic. In between learning and networking, our entrepreneurs could join the fans — an all-time record-setting attendance of 210,000 — right across from our headquarters in the heart of downtown Rochester. Here’s a look back at other highlights from cohort 5’s latest visit: Chad Stark, Executive Director at the Optica Foundation, talked with cohort 5 startups about Optica’s 23,000+ international members, its many networking opportunities, and the potential to connect with student and early-career talent. Luminate’s Managing Director, Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan, chimed in on the important partnership between our accelerator and Optica: “It’s been a big part of my professional development, and I cannot run this program or know what’s going on in the industry without Optica.” Chad joined the group for a tour of Optimax, America’s largest optics prototype manufacturer, before we took in the

Cohort 5 kicked off their time at Luminate by pitching organizations in the region. In May, we turned the tables by hosting our third annual trade show (in person for the first time ever) to give regional organizations the chance to share what they do. The matchmaking meetings that followed helped our founders identify potential partnerships that could help them grow. Thank you to all of our presenters for showcasing the many ways our region is collaborating to drive innovation: AIM Photonics TAP Facility’s Christopher Striemer Eastman Business Park’s John Toto Greater Rochester Enterprise’s David Grome JML Optical Industries, LLC’s Wade Cook Launch Team Inc.’s Michele Nichols NRGXP’s Michael Schab Optel, Inc.’s Jay Eastman Optimax Systems, Inc.’s Victoria (Tori) Uthe Sydor Optics, Inc.’s Matthew Sydor TOPTICA Photonics’ Bob Stevenson The University of Rochester’s Ain Center for Entrepreneurship’s Kathleen Driscoll Viaduct’s Peter Petrella During their time back in Rochester, cohort 5 startups also met with leaders from two companies that received follow-on funding as part of Luminate’s inaugural cohort. Niaz Karim, former CEO of Intelon Optics, video conferenced in to talk about the company and technology. Leslie Kimerling, co-founder and CEO of Double Helix Optics (Luminate’s first $1M recipient), discussed hiring

For the first time in more than two years, the Luminate accelerator was back to in-person meetings, workshops, and networking events for the start of cohort 5. Our startup teams flew in from around the world — Germany, Spain, Canada, India, and both coasts of the U.S. — to meet us in Rochester, New York for week one of the program. Their visit included baseline discussions with our directors and Advisory Board Chair, Don Golini; quick pitches to members of the Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster; and a seminar on customer discovery with NextCorps’ Director of Startup Incubation, Matt Foley. We welcomed cohort 5 to our facility in the famous Sibley Building in downtown Rochester, with delicious lunch-time fuel from Mercantile on Main restaurants throughout the week. The cohort isn’t official without a group shot, plus new headshots for founders. (Thank you, Sue Zeccola!) Kickoff week fell during the ROC on Tech 2022 full-day conference, with a keynote from Apple co-founder and tech legend, Steve Wozniak. Some of our founders were able to ask the Woz questions during Q&A. The teams presented to members of the Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster (RRPC) at the Tech Fast Pitch. This annual event is an

As Luminate’s Managing Director, Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan, said, “Earning a spot in Luminate is becoming more competitive each year as the caliber of the teams and the originality of their inventions increases.” Congratulations to all the startups joining us for the fifth round of Luminate! The 10 teams selected to join us include: Alertgy — patented wearable wristband platform with the first application providing affordable, effective, and noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring for existing and pre diabetics, and health-conscious people Axion Technologies — patented technique for scrambling light to provide quantum random numbers, which can be used in computing applications to protect data and expand the usefulness of data simulations, enabling more secure networking Custom Surgical — optical systems and software that digitize medical microscopes or slit-lamps, allowing for the seamless capture, storage, and broadcasting of high-quality medical imaging, without blocking the binoculars LIDROTEC — patent pending wafer dicing laser machines for the semiconductor industry that enable thinner cuts with a 0 percent damage rate LightSpeed Photonics — optoelectronic interconnects and lego-like processors that will address the need for increased, real-time processing of data bandwidth-intensive applications like video streaming, AI, cybersecurity, and smartNIC at low-power MEETOPTICS — a specialized photonics search hub

Startup companies from all around the world are vying for a spot in cohort 5. In fact, this year’s application period drew a record number of submissions, with half coming from outside of the United States. The selection process is underway and we’re looking forward to welcoming 10 teams to the accelerator in April. Stay tuned for the official announcement! Portfolio Updates Visionary leadership. 2EyesVision co-founder, Susana Marcos, was elected to the 2022 class of Gold Fellows by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). Marcos also recently snagged front-page coverage in the Spanish national daily, ABC, in a feature on Spanish women inventors of the 21st century. Full ⁦@abc_es⁩ article on the Spanish women inventors of 21st century. Headlines mention #SimVis & what triggered motivation for tech transfer:visiting a multinational company & finding our papers highlighted with yellow markers! ⁦@UofR⁩ @CSIC ⁦@2EyesVision⁩ pic.twitter.com/vvwlp7GlU3 — MarcosLab_UR (@MarcoslabUr) February 18, 2022 360° camera creators take the mic. Circle Optics’ CEO and COO were on The Tech Garden podcast, Making It Happen, to talk about their experience building a camera of the future and the Upstate New York resources they tapped along the way. Further validation for fundamentally new tech.

The ball has dropped, but our countdown is still ticking. The deadline to apply to Luminate’s fifth cohort has been extended through Monday, January 17. Happy New Year! If accelerating your startup’s growth is on your list of resolutions, Luminate can help. Companies accepted into cohort 5 receive an immediate $100,000 investment, plus the chance to compete for $2 million in follow-on funding. Connect with investors, get critical business development coaching, and change your trajectory for the better. Applicants are accepted from anywhere in the world and participation in this six-month program is primarily remote, with select weeks in-person for investor pitch opportunities. Space is limited, so apply now. (It’s easy!) Need more info? Click here to review an info session recording and/or sign up for our last session on January 5 with Director of Operations, Andy Simon, to get your questions answered live. ”One of the biggest challenges for us is how we miniaturize our technology and make it more commercially viable. Luminate was extremely helpful to show us the path from R&D to product development to commercialization. Three minutes with one of the mentors Luminate provided saved us three months of work.”       – Mohan Thanikachalam,