News: Optoelectronics
24 June 2025
PhotonDelta and Luminate NY collaborate on transatlantic growth network for photonics startups
Photonic chips industry accelerator PhotonDelta of Eindhoven, the Netherlands (which connects and collaborates with an ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations worldwide) and Luminate NY of Rochester, NY, USA (the world’s largest accelerator for startups working on optics, photonics and imaging-enabled technologies) have entered into a strategic collaboration to support the growth of early-stage photonics companies across North America and the Netherlands.
The partnership brings together the two photonics ecosystems to strengthen international innovation, expand access to resources, and provide enhanced support for startups aiming to commercialize photonics technologies. Startups that are part of PhotonDelta or Luminate can get access to the benefits from each other’s accelerator programs. This will enable photonics startups to leverage these ecosystems and relationships to accelerate innovation and scaling into the global market.
PhotonDelta and Luminate will work together to identify and vet candidates for participation in their programs and accelerator cycles. In addition, both organizations will introduce startups to their networks of industry experts, investors, mentors and production facilities. The collaboration will also provide soft-landing services as they establish a presence in both the USA and the Netherlands, offering startups access to USA and European markets.
The memorandum of understanding with Luminate also underpins the importance of the strategic collaboration between the Netherlands and New York state in semiconductors and integrated photonics. During the week of 10 June, a NY State delegation consisting of government officials and industry experts visited the Netherlands to strengthen connections and share knowledge. The trip was supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Picture: Left to right: Jorn Smeets, PhotonDelta; Steffen Westerburger, Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs; Sujatha Ramanujan, managing director of Luminate and chief investment officer of NextCorps; James Senall, president of NextCorps.
The scope of the collaboration includes joint programming, beginning with a series of planned investor summits, pitch events, and webinars. This will include the Luminate 5x5 Pitches in August, Luminate Investor Summit in New York City on 12 September, the Luminate Finals on 22 October and the PIC Summit Europe event in Eindhoven, the Netherlands on 4–5 November. Executives from both organizations will meet quarterly to exchange insights on photonics developments and identify startups with strong potential for acceleration, funding, or market entry and develop new initiatives such as the Global Photonics Engineering Contest, which recently concluded with 33 submissions from all over the world.
Luminate, which was created and is administered by non-profit NextCorps and funded by Empire State Development’s Finger Lakes Forward initiative, accepts 10–12 companies from around the world annually into its cohort-based program. The accelerator now has more than 80 companies in its portfolio, representing a variety of industries, from AR/VR, quantum computing, and semiconductors to materials and metrology, autonomous vehicles, healthcare, and clean energy. These firms collectively have an estimated value of more than $700m. Luminate is a member of the NY Photonics cluster in a region that is home to over 150 optics companies.
PhotonDelta’s ecosystem currently comprises over 75 different organizations that form a complete value chain, including design services, multiple foundries for photonic chip fabrication, packaging, assembly and testing, and an increasing number of fabless companies that use PIC technology for innovative solutions. PhotonDelta, a Dutch-based industry accelerator focused on photonic chip technology, has secured €1.1bn to accelerate this next-generation semiconductor technology by running R&D programs, leading international roadmapping activities, and investing in pioneering startups that apply integrated photonics technology.
“The global integrated photonics industry is expected to grow with a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 45% to $10.3bn by 2029 [according to the report ‘Silicon Photonics 2024’ by market analyst firm Yole],” notes PhotonDelta’s CEO Eelko Brinkhoff. “This partnership will give startups access to a more powerful, connected support network in the USA and the Netherlands. By combining our two ecosystems, we can fast-track innovation, investment, and access to new markets, empowering a new generation of photonics pioneers,” he adds.
“Working with PhotonDelta allows us to combine strengths, support cross-order growth, and accelerate the development of breakthrough technologies,” says Luminate NY’s managing director & chief investment officer Sujatha Ramanujan. “We look forward to working with future promising startups that can lead this next wave of technological transformation.”
PhotonDelta is a non-profit organisation supporting an end-to-end value chain for photonic chips that designs, develops, and manufactures innovative solutions that contribute to a better world. It does so by creating global awareness and promoting the benefits and potential of the Dutch and European photonic chip industry and its technologies. PhotonDelta is committed to facilitating the growth of startups, the creation of new photonic chip applications, as well as the development of infrastructure and talent. Leveraging a total of €1.1bn in funding from the Dutch Government, it catalyses the acceleration of the photonic chip industry.
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