Having secured $100,0000 each in funding through a rigorous competition held in November by Luminate NY, 10 winners and three runners-up have joined together in downtown Rochester to begin the 6-month accelerator program. Luminate NY, the world’s largest accelerator for optics, photonics and imaging (OPI), is administered by High Tech Rochester and funded by New York State through the Finger Lakes Forward Upstate Revitalization Initiative. The program was formed to advance next-generation OPI companies by investing an initial $100,000 in 10 companies with the opportunity for them to receive an additional $1,000,000 in follow-on funding at the programs’ Demo Day culmination in June 2018. “In addition to the incubator space at the newly renovated and state-of-the-art Sibley Building, each company will be mentored by OPI luminaries on our board, as well as given comprehensive assistance across the market launch process, said Sujatha Ramanujan, Luminate NY managing director. “Luminate NY will integrate them into Rochester’s significant photonics ecosystem, home to over 150 optics companies who are integral to the supply chain of the OPI industry.” The competition attracted more than 100 applicants from around the world including teams from Canada, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, India, Russia, Qatar, Lebanon, Israel and the U.S. "The Finger Lakes region is transforming into a worldwide hub for optics, photonics and imaging innovation," said Howard Zemsky, Empire State Development president, CEO and commisioner. “The Luminate NY accelerator reinforces our efforts to focus entrepreneurial resources on the photonics industry by creating an environment that will enable startups to thrive." The 10 finalists: In the fields of Photonic Devices, Lasers, Materials and Display: Arovia Inc. - Houston Lumotune - Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Molecular Glasses Inc. - Rochester, N.Y. In the fields of Spectroscopy and Medical Devices: LighTopTech Corp. - Rochester, N.Y. Intelon Optics Inc. - Boston In Augmented and Virtual Reality, Sensors, Instrumentation, Image Recognition: Bounce Imaging - Boston DoubleHelix LLC - Boulder, Colo. Think Biosolution - Dublin, Ireland Positive Science - Rochester, N.Y. Tarsier Optics Inc. - Baltimore, Md. Runners-Up: Motion Savvy - Rochester, N.Y. Mosaic - Rochester, N.Y. Accuret - Rochester, N.Y.