Empire State Development has named the 10 companies selected to participate in round eight of the Luminate NY accelerator program, investment fund, and competition. 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 program. The cohort will begin on April 22 and will conclude in October. To date, Luminate has invested $21 million in 73 startups. The companies in the portfolio have raised an additional $343.5 million and now share a net worth of $700 million. Courtesy of Luminate. The selected companies: amPICQ, a designer and developer of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for quantum communications, datacom, and telecom. IRIDESENSE, a developer of a 3D SWIR multispectral perception solution that offers long range and high resolution to optimize resources and reduce carbon footprint. LirOptic, a creator of a solid-state, shape shifting, tunable optical lens technology that facilitates optical zoom in a shorter compact camera module (CCM) stack. Metahelios, a designer and developer of metasurface image sensor technology, enabling camera technologies that go beyond current technological limitations. Oblate Optics, designing and fabricating advanced meta-optics for laser and imaging applications. Pensievision, creating new 3D imaging technology for industrial applications and medical devices, including a portable colposcope able to produce high-resolution 3D images to assist in early-stage detection and analysis of pre-cancer cervical lesions. Pixel Photonics, a developer of an approach to combine superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD) with photonic integrated circuits. SNOChip, a provider of semiconductor nano-optical chip technology with on-chip nanostructures. VanaM, a creator of next-generation semiconductor thin films (quantum materials, smart glass) based on innovative deposition source technology and core IP. Wyse Light, a developer of simple, fast, and affordable optical measurement of reflective surfaces at nanometric precision. Two companies, Dottir Labs and Ciconia Medical, were selected to participate outside of the finalist structure as runners up and will be auditing the program to help prepare and advance their businesses. Dottir Labs integrates hundreds of sensors over large distances and provides real-time, high-quality data on dynamic and complex chemical processes. Ciconia Medical is improving women’s childbirth experiences and outcomes through the first AI-based medical device for vaginal exams. The companies were selected from a pool of 197 applications sent from 38 different countries, Luminate said. Since its inception, Luminate has invested $21 million in 73 startups. Funding for the program, which is administered by NextCorps, is provided through the Finger Lakes Forward Upstate Revitalization Initiative.
