Governor Hochul Announces Round Nine Winners of Luminate NY Startup Accelerator and Competition
Summary
Governor Hochul announced the Round Nine winners of the Luminate NY accelerator and highlighted new investments for optics, photonics, and imaging startups. Gekko Photonics received a $1 million Company of the Year investment and plans to expand into Rochester with local manufacturing, integration, and support operations. Several other companies also won follow-on funding, and the program has now backed 96 startups with $26 million in total investment. The announcement also opened applications for Round 10, with startups able to apply through January 11, 2027 and compete for another $2 million in funding.
Funding
Amount
$1.0M
Total raised
Date
September 30, 2026
Announcement date
Investors
NextCorps, NYSERDA, Luminate NY
Lead investors
Company
gekkophotonics.com
Funded company
AskAI Classifications
Sectors
Manufacturing Industry
ERP for Manufacturing
Functions
Developer and IT Infrastructure
General IT-Dev
Internet of Things (IoT) Platforms
Linked Companies
Gekko Photonics
$1M to $5M
HyperVision
up to $1M