Via the Rochester Business Journal
For deep-tech hardware startups, commercialization often requires an agile willingness to follow a technology wherever the market demands. Modendo Inc. was originally founded and incubated in Boulder, Colorado, to develop hair-thin fiber-optic microscopes designed to look deep inside delicate brain tissue for neuroscience research. However, when semiconductor manufacturers approached the team with the need to inspect microscopic, tightly confined spaces inside advanced electronics, the startup discovered a massive, unserved market.
To make the transition from bioscience to semiconductors, Modendo recognized its team could benefit from the concentrated knowledge of a large, established optics ecosystem. After searching for support, Modendo applied to Luminate NY in Rochester. As the world’s largest accelerator for startups working on technology enabled by optics, photonics, and imaging (OPI), it gave Modendo immediate access to specialized commercialization resources, plus an initial $100,000 investment.
“Luminate stood out because it offers the exact type of optical hardware expertise we need for our development roadmap,” says Antonio Miguel Caravaca Aguirre, PhD, CEO of Modendo. “The program brings together mentors, investors, and operators who all speak the language of advanced optical physics, which is rare. For us, gaining access to that collective knowledge is just as valuable as the funding itself.”
As an added benefit, Modendo’s arrival in Rochester has placed them squarely within the NY SMART I-Corridor. This federally designated tech hub spanning Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse is poised to become the fastest-growing semiconductor ecosystem in the United States. Connecting over 100 organizations — including major supply chain firms and Micron’s central New York megafab — the initiative provides a powerful, unexpected commercial runway for Modendo as they bring their new semiconductor inspection processes to market.
This strategic alignment positions Modendo to address a severe problem at the absolute forefront of chip manufacturing.
For more information about the Luminate accelerator and Finals 2026, visit luminate.org.