Sneak Peek at Luminate Finals 2021
2 Days Left to Register
People from all over the world — 23 countries and counting — are registered to watch the startups of cohort 4 pitch for up to $2 million in follow-on funding later this week. Don’t miss your chance to get a glimpse at the technology of the future. Register for Luminate Finals 2021, sponsored by Optica.
Help Your Favorite Startup Take Home $10,000
A panel of judges decides which teams are awarded Company of the Year and other investments, but there’s one category that’s up to you. After the pitches, you’ll have the opportunity to vote for your favorite startup. Who will walk away with the Audience Choice Award and $10,000?
2EyesVision
First technology that allows people to quickly and accurately compare the different corrections available for presbyopia
Andluca Technologies
UV-solar-powered smart glass for improving the energy efficiency of buildings
Dynocardia
First non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) method that measures BP continuously and with accuracy compared to the gold standard
Infrascreen
Nanotech solutions for better climate control in greenhouses
Layer Metrics
Integrated metrology system that enables intelligent 3D printing
Mesodyne
Ultra-high energy-density compact power generators that increase the endurance of small autonomous systems by 10x over batteries alone
Momentum Optics
High-quality, affordable, and rapidly delivered custom optics
One Silicon Chip Photonics (OSCP)
Inertial navigation sensors for autonomous vehicles
Owl Autonomous Imaging
3D Thermal Ranger™, providing HD imaging and precision ranging that is a 150x improvement in resolution and cloud density of LiDAR
PreAct Technologies
Sensors and software that make it possible to angle car seats away, deploy airbags earlier, and raise the car suspension before the impact of a crash occurs
“The technologies being innovated by this cohort include a wide range of one-of-its kind, or industry-first, solutions,” Managing Director, Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan, told Photonics Media.
Tackling Challenges of Underserved Founders
Finals 2021 will feature a panel discussion moderated by Luminate’s Managing Director, Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan. Four distinguished women in science and investment will shed light on some of the challenges that exist today for women and minority founders, and steps industries can take to address them.
Susan
Houde-Walter
CEO of LMD Power of Light Corp. (formerly LaserMax, Inc.)
Manjari
Chandran-Remesh
Deep-Tech and Software Venture Investor at IP Group PLC
Marcia
Lesky
Senior Director for Diversity, Inclusion & Volunteer Cultivation at Optica
Leslie
Kimmerling
CEO and co-founder of Double Helix Optics, the inaugural winner of the 2018 Luminate competition
“We hope that attendees will recognize that creativity and innovation are gender-neutral, and we trust that attendees will be inspired to make more inclusive decisions in their own businesses,” said Houde-Walter.
Could Your Startup Be Next?
Applications for Luminate’s fifth cohort are open! If you have questions about the accelerator or how to apply, stay online after Luminate Finals and chat with Andy Simon, Director of Operations.
GET TO KNOW COHORT 4
Layer Metrics: A Real-Time Revolution in 3D Printing
“Ours is a first-of-its-kind integrated metrology system for simultaneous, synchronized monitoring of geometric and thermal profiles. That enables adaptive process control and digitally recorded, born-certified parts — perfectly formed parts, first time, every time.”
Clare Murphy, CEO
Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has the potential to be a highly disruptive force throughout the global manufacturing industry but there are challenges that must be overcome before this process can reach widespread adoption. Components like medical implants or aircraft engine parts leave no room for error, and scrapped outputs from inconsistent 3D printing cost billions of dollars and countless hours of lost time each year.
Clare Murphy, CEO of Layer Metrics, describes how her company has developed a system that protects build integrity as it happens to enable more consistent, reliable 3D printing.
Mesodyne: Converting Fuel to Electricity Via Light
“With our solution, we can potentially reduce [dismounted warfighters’] battery load by 75%, which enables them to carry more water or other things they need to perform their mission.”
Veronika Stelmakh, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO
Drones, vehicles, and people that need power on the move are weighed down or held back by current solutions. Batteries have low energy density, and other power sources like grid, solar, and wind are not always available or practical.
Veronika Stelmakh, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Mesodyne, shares how her team took technology out of the lab and into the field to transform how power is generated in challenging environments.
Momentum Optics: A Better, Faster Path to Custom Optics
“I saw real potential in leveraging technology from the $480 billion semiconductor industry and putting it together with optics manufacturing.”
Jeremy Goeckeritz, PhD, Founder and CEO
Nearly all market sectors can benefit from faster, more cost-effective optics. Custom optics often require months-long lead times and high costs, which makes them inaccessible to some companies and slows product development and research progress for others.
Jeremy Goeckeritz, PhD, Founder and CEO of Momentum Optics, shares how his company addresses the need for affordable, rapidly delivered custom optics.
2EyesVision: A Clearer Way to Prescribe Multifocal Corrections
“Joining 2EyesVision has allowed me to be part of a project that I believe in, one that is solving a real market need and helping people.”
Álvaro Sánchez-Lozano, Director of Business Development
Multifocal corrections in the form of contact lenses or intraocular lenses can lead to life-changing vision improvements for an increasing number of people. But multifocal vision is hard to explain and to imagine, and every patient has a preferred option. In order to bring multifocality to a wider number of patients, it is important to provide clinicians with a tool to reduce patient uncertainty.
Álvaro Sánchez-Lozano, Director of Business Development at 2EyesVision, shares how the company has developed a head-mounted device that allows patients to experience the real-world through multifocal corrections and decide what’s best for them in a matter of minutes.
PORTFOLIO MILESTONES
Watch out for these entrepreneurs. Leaders from Neurescence (cohort 2), Ovitz (2), Rubitection (3), and Mesodyne (4) were featured in the latest edition of Optics & Photonics News (OPN).
A big step forward. Bounce Imaging (cohort 1) was awarded a five-year contract worth up to $15 million with Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency tasked with protecting the nation’s borders.
Grow for the gold. Nordetect (cohort 3) is among 20 finalists for round 3 of the Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Competition. Good luck, Nordetect!
PODCASTS
OSCP: Transforming Motion Sensing for Autonomous Vehicles
One Silicon Chip Photonics (OSCP; cohort 4), is advancing safety and accuracy of autonomous vehicles and drones. Its high-performance Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is more precise, uses eight times less power, and is up to 30 times less expensive than alternative solutions. Watch the video interview with OSCP’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Kazem Zandi.
Mesodyne: Building Generators that Fit in the Palm of Your Hand
There’s currently no solution for lightweight, portable power generation. Mesodyne (cohort 4) is developing a new kind of generator that enables compact, efficient, long-endurance power generation anywhere, any time, from any fuel. Watch the video interview with Mesodyne’s CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Veronika Stelmakh.
Momentum Optics: Delivering Affordable Custom Optics, Ultra-Fast
Custom optical components are found everywhere. Unfortunately, bringing them to market is expensive and often comes with long lead times. Momentum Optics (cohort 4) is creating a faster path forward with smart manufacturing technology. Watch the video interview with Momentum’s Founder and CEO, Jeremy Goeckeritz, PhD.
2EyesVision: Empowering Personalized Assessment of Multifocal Corrections
Intraocular lenses are among the best options to correct presbyopia and cataracts. But multifocal vision is a new visual experience that’s hard to imagine and to explain. 2EyesVision (cohort 4) developed the SimVis Gekko™, a solution for patients to be able to experience multifocal corrections before committing to surgery or lens fitting. Watch the video interview with 2EyesVision’s Director of Business Development, Álvaro Sánchez-Lozano.
Layer Metrics: Enabling Reliable 3D Metal Printing
Manufacturers of mission-critical components like facial implants and aircraft engine pieces are currently using metal printing to produce multiple parts to get one good one. It’s a problem that costs the global manufacturing industry billions of dollars a year. Layer Metrics (cohort 4) is addressing the challenge with its integrated metrology system, which monitors all build parameters in real-time for born-certified parts. Watch the video interview with Layer Metrics’ CEO, Clare Murphy.
