NEWS
Cohort 4 Announcement Coming Soon!
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 […]
Leverage Your Connections, and Other Sales Tips from Our Director of Operations
Get to Know Andy Simon If you’ve ever applied to Luminate, chances are you connected with Andy Simon. Head of recruitment, leader of logistics, and coordinator of all training and consultants (to name a few of many hats), Andy ensures that the startups accepted into Luminate are successful throughout the program. Before Andy helped launch […]
Mergers & Acquisitions with Jay Kumler
President of global technology group Jenoptik Optical Systems and Luminate advisory board member, Jay Kumler has experience in both the buy- and sell-sides of M&A. He speaks with our Managing Director, Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan, about his transition from a startup founder to doing business internationally as part of a publicly traded company. Hear what exciting […]
Here’s to More Firsts
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 […]
Lead with “Why,” and Other Pitch Tips from Our Technology Program Manager
Get to Know Damon Diehl, PhD For startups that go through the Luminate accelerator, Damon Diehl becomes a fast friend. He speaks optics, knows what makes a strong business case, and connects our teams with the supply-chain resources they need — a rare blend of technical expert, savvy storyteller, and man about town. Prior to […]
New Year, New Possibilities
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 […]
Lessons Learned During a Career in Photonics
From an interview with Luminate Board Member, Jenifer Bunis Growing up in Buffalo, NY and attending an all-girls high school, Jenifer Bunis never thought she’d end up climbing the ladder in the male-dominated photonics and laser industry. But, as the saying goes, we make our own luck. Today, Bunis runs consulting firm, Westlake Photonics, and […]
Advances in Breast Cancer Imaging: Three Things Entrepreneurs Should Know
Damon Diehl, PhD, Technology Program Manager “Nobody knows what the AIs are thinking,” Dr. Zhimin Huo said. “They are basically black boxes.” It sounded like the beginning of a dystopian novel. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was not the conversation starter I had expected when Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan and I sat down to discuss breast cancer with […]
Spotlight on Haqean: Fighting Counterfeiting with Quantum Technology
The counterfeit medicine business in the U.S. alone is worth around $400 million. Counterfeit goods drain the global economy of trillions of dollars and cost millions of jobs. Haqean, a Luminate cohort 3 company, is working to ensure product quality and security in the global pharma industry by fighting counterfeiting with quantum-mechanical processes. Haqean’s CTO, […]
