Semi-finalists to compete for spot in Luminate’s Round III

Twenty-five semifinalists, from a pool of 101 applicants, will get a chance to participate in LuminateNY’s Lightning Rounds this week at the Strong Museum of Play.

For Luminate’s Round III, applications came from 25 different countries, including: India, Canada, Australia, Israel, Russia, Singapore, and Spain.  Fifteen companies from New York State applied, with the remaining coming from U.S. cities including Austin, Berkeley, Boston, Los Angeles and Orlando. Funding for the $25 million accelerator is provided through the Finger Lakes Forward Upstate Revitalization Initiative and is administered by NextCorps.

Ten finalists will receive $100,000 and a chance to vie for a $2 million in follow-on founding in June 2020. Luminate NY, the world’s largest business accelerator for startups with optics, photonics and imaging (OPI) enabled applications, provides expert mentorship, access to investors, lab facilities, and education to guide startups through actionable business planning that’s focused on commercializing technologies and scaling their businesses.

“Advancements in OPI technologies are transforming just about every industry today,” said Sujatha Ramanjuan, Managing Director of Luminate NY. “By giving these startups a platform for both business and technical development, we’re helping to advance the mission of their businesses, as well as the industries they serve.”

The Nov.7 event is free and open to the public. Register at Lightning Awards 2019.