New Teams, New Cutting-Edge Ideas
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 that enables researchers and engineers to find and compare products and technologies from trusted suppliers in minutes instead of weeks
- QD Solar — low-cost, lightweight, flexible, high-power density solar sheet that offers efficiency well beyond that of silicon solar
- Quantopticon — automation software tools supporting the rapid cost-effective development of high-quality, peak-performing quantum photonic devices, which are key to the emerging quantum technology industry
- SCOUT — on-orbit imaging systems and autonomy software for automated detection, tracking, and characterization of space objects and orbital debris
- Stratio — AI-assisted visible and infrared imaging solutions for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), medical imaging, precision farming, forensic, and food/plastic sorting
EmGenisys will also take part in Luminate out of the finalist structure to gain access to regional resources. Opto Biolabs and SynchroPET will be auditing the program to help prepare and advance their businesses for applying to accelerator programs in the future.
Read the full announcement from Empire State Development.
We’re officially kicking off cohort 5 in early April, and we’ll be sharing updates on these teams throughout their time in the accelerator.
Portfolio Updates
More support for the world’s first stitch-less 360° camera. Circle Optics was awarded $2,500,000 in Q1 through a combination of NSF Phase I and Phase II awards, and United States Airforce AFWERX grants to revolutionize situational awareness through enhanced imaging.
A new application for Light Lace. Organic Robotics Corporation is collaborating with Cornell University’s Performance Apparel Design Lab to take its technology to a different field: monitoring the stamina and attention of airplane pilots, astronauts, and other highly stressed individuals working in harsh environments.
Automakers delight at future proofed ADAS systems. PreAct Technologies is bringing its software-definable flash LiDAR to market, an announcement that scored coverage in Forbes for the added value to OEMs.
Awarding an objective and reliable assessment of skin health. Rubitection was among four medtech innovators to win a 2022 Health Equity FlexGrant from the West Coast Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP).
All eyes on this remote patient monitoring startup. Think Biosolution made Health Innovation Hub Ireland’s list of 20 health-tech companies in Ireland to watch in 2022.
Don Golini’s Advice on Engaging Your Advisors
The right mentors and advisors can make a big difference for your company, particularly when you’re just starting out. Chairman of the Luminate Advisory Board, Don Golini, weighs in on how to leverage these essential connections. Watch here, and check out other bite-sized videos.
The Fundamentals of Fundraising
Friday, April 1, at 9:00 AM EST: Luminate’s Managing Director, Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan, is co-presenting during the final event of NextCorps’ Startup Week. Join her and Mario Fallone, Partner at Harter Secrest & Emery, as they walk through how to build a funding action plan for securing the money you’ll need, when you’ll need it. Register here.
