Application extended to January 17 for Luminate Business Accelerator  

The next Luminate Business Accelerator cohort is offering immediate funding of $100,000 and the chance to compete for up to $2 million in follow-up investment.

Applications are now due by January 17, 2022.

Upon acceptance to the program, start-ups benefit from the initial investment, along with mentorship and access to investors, lab facilities and comprehensive curriculum. Once a graduate of the six-month program, the companies compete for $2 million in funding.

Participation is primarily virtual this year, with select weeks in-person for pitches to investor groups.

Any startup, regardless of its location, is encouraged to apply if it is developing a new application that leverages some aspect of optics, photonics or imaging — such as a cell phone camera for photos and video, machine or computer vision, light, or sensors that can help detect characteristics like location, motion, damage and facial recognition. In the past, companies accepted into Luminate’s portfolio have been from diverse industries, including autonomous vehicles, augmented reality/virtual reality, climate tech, communications, defense, entertainment, medical device, quantum computing and security.

Luminate is the world’s largest business accelerator and investment fund for early-stage companies working on solutions that are enabled by optics, photonics or imaging.

“So many innovations under development today include an aspect of optics, photonics, or imaging to bring new capabilities to market,” said Sujatha Ramanujan, PhD, Managing Director, Luminate. “By leveraging all that Luminate has to offer, including the rich resources that exist here in Rochester, NY, we can help jumpstart the growth and funding trajectory of the emerging companies of the future.”

To apply for the program, go online to NextCorps Luminate.