Last week, 27 semi-finalists pitched virtually to our advisory board members for a place in cohort 4. Startup teams from around the world shared their innovations in augmented/virtual reality, medical devices and imaging, displays and light sources, precision manufacturing and measurement, materials science, spectroscopy, and sensors. They fielded questions about their tech, team, business models, and what they hoped to accomplish as part of Luminate. Our advisory board now faces the tough task of selecting 10 finalists from this impressive group. Who will make the cut? Stay tuned! We’ll be unveiling cohort 4 soon. Not a subscriber yet? Sign up for updates, including program announcements and monthly editions of The Lens. From Our Advisory Board Don Golini, Chairman of the Luminate Advisory Board and Founder of SANICA Ventures, shares his words of wisdom for startups in 2021: “Doing a startup in any environment is really hard, and a pandemic can be devastating despite an entrepreneur’s best efforts. Having said that, many entrepreneurs operating in the ’new normal’ continue to find a path forward. In some cases, potential customers have more time on their hands and make themselves available for more robust customer discovery and exploration of new technologies. The fundamentals

Firsts are exciting. To most of us, they represent new beginnings. To entrepreneurs, they demonstrate the importance of seeing the world in a slightly different way — what could be if we truly dare to change the status quo. While 2020 did serve us some extremes, it also gave us many historic firsts that we can all feel good about! Carbon dioxide emissions declined for the first time in many years. The stock market reached new heights. The Academy Awards’ best film went to a foreign movie. And yesterday’s swearing in of the first-ever female vice president of the United States also marks the first African-American and Asian-American to become the highest-ranking female elected official. In this first month of the 21st year of the 21st century, we’re eager to see what firsts our portfolio companies — and new cohort members — will achieve for their businesses, their industries, and our world. Here’s to many more firsts! From Our Advisory Board What’s on your 2021 reading (or listening) list? Members of our advisory board share some of their favorite books and podcasts. Jenifer Bunis, Principal, Westlake Photonics Dale Carnegie lived in a very different world than today’s professionals, but in

As the most challenging year in collective memory winds down, opportunity draws near. We’re closing out 2020 with excitement and optimism — the deadline to apply for cohort 4 is quickly approaching! Our team of judges is looking forward to reviewing applications from across the country and around the globe. With applicants from Ireland to Israel, the U.K. to Ukraine, South Africa to Spain, and others in between, there’s interest from almost every continent so far. (We have yet to meet a startup from Antarctica, but all are welcome.) Think you’re a fit for Luminate? There’s still time. Get your application in by January 7, 2021. Questions about the process? Watch a recording of a virtual office hours session with Director of Operations, Andy Simon, or get in touch directly. From Our Advisory Board Members of Luminate’s esteemed Advisory Board weigh in on the year behind us, and what they expect is ahead for businesses in 2021. Jay Kumler, President, Jenoptik Optical Systems The third quarter of 2020 had the most new business applications the U.S. Census has recorded since they started tracking the data. The disruption and volatility of an economic crisis is painful, but it creates opportunities for

Register for Luminate Live Webinars Learn more about Luminate, the benefits of participating, and how to apply. You can access the recording of our first webinar or register for future webinars here. Coming up on December 3, talk with three companies from prior Luminate cohorts who will share their experience at the accelerator. It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week — a time to celebrate innovators who dream big and launch companies that disrupt industries. Luminate is proud to support startups that are destined to bring new possibilities to our world. Since the accelerator began in 2018, we have worked with incredible entrepreneurs and racked up some impressive numbers. (Your startup could be next! Applications are open for cohort 4. Apply by January 7.) 30 Startups Life-changing vision improvements. More efficient solar panels. 360 degree situational awareness for first responders. Our portfolio companies are creating the future with their groundbreaking technologies. $20 Million in Additional Investments Luminate provides an initial investment of up to $100,000 to all of our startups, and they move on to compete for up to $1 million at the end of the program — but that’s just the beginning. We connect our companies to potential investors, and those relationships

2020 brought unprecedented changes to our accelerator program and the companies we support — and we adapted as innovators do. As we move into a new year and recruit our fourth cohort, we’ll continue to stay flexible and offer the funding, programming, resources, and opportunities that will help our startups succeed. Apply to Be Part of Cohort 4 Ready to make 2021 your startup’s year? Apply to be considered for Luminate’s next cohort by January 7. Finalists will receive an initial investment up to $100,000 and comprehensive support to speed the commercialization of your technology, plus the chance to compete for additional funding at the end of the cohort. Apply Questions about the process or whether you’re a fit? Get in touch with our Director of Operations, Andy Simon. Congratulations, Sujatha! Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan, Luminate’s Managing Director, was elected to The Optical Society’s Fellow Class of 2021 for outstanding leadership in the formation of optics and photonics industry clusters. OSA Fellows are members who have served with distinction in the advancement of optics and photonics and are selected based on contributions to industry education, research, engineering, business, and community. Congrats, Sujatha, on this recognition, and thank you for your unwavering

Round 3 of the Luminate NY startup competition is a wrap! More than 1,500 people from around the world registered for Luminate Finals 2020, held in conjunction with The Optical Society’s first-ever all-virtual Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science (FiO + LS) Conference. Congratulations to This Year’s Investment Recipients! While all ten startup companies of Luminate’s third cohort will continue to receive support from the accelerator, six companies were awarded follow-on funding at Finals 2020. Five of these investments were made to companies that met specific criteria, as determined by a panel of advisory board members and judges. The sixth investment was chosen by Finals attendees through a real-time audience poll. Congratulations to this year’s winners, and to all of the startups of cohort 3! $1,000,000 Winner – Company of the Year: SunDensity The number of solar power plants in the United States is growing at a rate of 30% per year, but much of the visible light is wasted by solar cells. SunDensity’s Photonic Smart Coating (PSC) can enhance the energy output of solar panels by 20%. PSC improves the efficiency of opto-electronic devices such as solar cells by enhancing and shaping the spectrum of photons, transforming visible light