10 companies selected for the next round of Luminate NY OPI Accelerator in Rochester 

10 companies from around the world will be headed to Rochester after being selected to take part in round eight of the Luminate NY accelerator program, investment fund and competition.  

A program record-breaking total of 197 applications from 38 different countries were received for consideration to participate in the world’s largest accelerator for startups working on solutions that are enabled by optics, photonics and imaging (OPI).  

The companies were selected after pitching their ideas and being scored by an advisory panel comprised of industry experts.  

Each finalist will receive an initial investment of $100,000 and will have the chance to compete for up to $2 million in follow-on funding upon completion of the accelerator program. The cohort will run from the end of April through the end of October. 

The selected start-ups are: 

• amPICQ (India)—Specializing in the design and development of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) for Quantumcom, Datacom and Telecom. 

• IRIDESENSE (France)—The first 3D SWIR Multispectral Perception solution—long range and high resolution—to optimize resources and reduce carbon footprint. 

• LirOptic (Ireland)—Groundbreaking solid-state, shape shifting, tunable optical lens technology that facilitates optical zoom in a shorter compact camera module (CCM) stack. 

• Metahelios (United Kingdom)—Designing and developing metasurface image sensor technology, enabling camera technologies that go beyond current technological limitations. 

• Oblate Optics (US)— Designing and fabricating advanced meta-optics, laser and imaging applications. 

• Pensievision (US)—Creating novel 3D imaging technology for industrial applications and medical devices, including the world’s first portable colposcope able to produce high-resolution 3D images to assist in early-stage detection and analysis of pre-cancer cervical lesions. 

• Pixel Photonics (Germany)—Redefining photon detection with Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPD). 

• SNOChip (US)—Pushing the boundaries of optics and photonics with on-chip nanostructures. 

• VanaM (South Korea)—Creating next-generation semiconductor thin films (quantum materials, smart glass) based on innovative deposition source technology and core IP. 

• Wyse Light (France)—Developing simple, fast, and affordable optical measurement of reflective surfaces at nanometric precision. 

“The caliber of companies joining Luminate matches the quality and innovative thinking of the supply chain partners, manufacturers and investors that are located here and eager to help them speed the development of their technologies and strength of their businesses,” said Sujatha Ramanujan, Luminate’s managing director.  

Since its inception, Luminate has invested $21 million in 73 startups. The companies in the portfolio have raised an additional $343.5 million and now share an estimated net worth of $700 million, according to a release from Empire State Development.

Many of the companies are establishing U.S. operations or some aspect of research and manufacturing in the Rochester region, which has resulted in the creation of 177 jobs in the region, ESD said. 

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