ACCELERATE YOUR TECHNOLOGY

at the World’s Only OPI Accelerator

EDUCATION

Get Ample Training to Fast Forward Success

Luminate selects 10 promising companies to join its accelerator each year. This is the starting point into a comprehensive world of support. Here is just a glimpse into what our pool of subject matter experts provides:

DfX: Design for Excellence
Customer Discover
Business Modeling
Valuation
IP Mapping
Patent Law

Employment Law
International Tax Law
NYS Manufacturing
Supply Chain Management
Exports
Lead Generation

Scalable Marketing
Digital and Social Media Advertising
Grant Writing
Selling to Government
Solution Selling
Mindfulness

INVESTORS

Increase Opportunities for Funding

Unlike other accelerator programs, Luminate provides its cohorts with multiple opportunities to meet investors — from local fast-pitch events with angel investors, VCs, and leading OPI brands; to regional competitions and Demo Day events; to investors meetings in NYC, Boston, and other big cities. These experiences help startups perfect their pitch to secure funding. Don’t forget: Our startups also compete for up to $2 million in follow-on funding at graduation.

Cohort 2 Lightning Rounds for $100K

Cohort 3 Lightning Rounds for $100K

Cohort 1 Demo Day for $2M

Panel Discussion: Funding Opportunities

1:1 MENTORING

Work Alongside Experienced Advisors

Luminate mentors are renowned in the optics, photonics, and imaging community for their expertise and accomplishments. They’re also known for looking at things from different perspectives to quickly spot potential opportunities or flaws in planning and execution. This support keeps startups moving on the path to commercialization.

We conduct an assessment to match mentors to specific startup needs.

Mentors connect companies with resources across the global OPI network to speed progress.

Startups meet weekly or biweekly with mentors to resolve challenges.

“

There’s a difference between support and expertise. We’re getting both at Luminate. We didn’t expect that.

Yasaman Soudagar, CEO, Neurescence
Cohort 2

“

With the Luminate support, VPG Medical closed its seed round fully subscribed, and started its series A round in less than 6 months, enabling the company to grow significantly.

Jean-Philippe Couderc, Founder & CEO, VPG Medical
Cohort 2 $500,000 winner

“

The investment, space to work, and connection to mentors and people in the community has been important. It’s allowed us to grow and develop our business to the place it is today.

Ian Gauger, Corporate Operations Manager, Circle Optics
Cohort 2 $260,000 winner

LABS

Innovate Onsite in Equipped Labs

Luminate is located in NextCorps’ Sibley Square technology incubator. This facility includes a fully featured R&D optics lab, an electronics lab, a fabrication lab with 3D printers, and four wet labs. Our optical metrology technician is highly skilled (he’s the co-inventor of nine patents!) and ready to help teams further develop their technologies.

OPTICS R&D LAB