Luminate
AcceleratorSan Francisco · Pre-Seed–Seed · 1 people tracked
Also known as Luminate Capital Management, Inc.
Investment thesis
Luminate is an accelerator and investment fund for startups building optics, photonics, imaging, and laser-enabled technologies, awarding $3 million annually across cohorts of roughly ten companies. Participants receive a $100K investment upon acceptance, with an additional $2M available to top companies per cohort, along with mentoring and access to a network of domain experts, corporate sponsors, and investors. Its portfolio spans applications in AR/VR, cybersecurity, defense, healthcare, IoT, and quantum.
Team · 1 people
from public directories
What they invest in
from 1 of 1 portfolio companiesAdvanced Manufacturing ×1AI & Machine Learning ×1Enterprise Software ×1SaaS ×1
Portfolio companies · 1 tracked
alumni founders can tell you what the program is really likeConexiom automates the order process for manufacturers and distributors, converting manual documents like quotes, orders, invoices, and acknowledgements into accurate, ERP-ready data.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Co-investorsICONIQWarburg PincusICONIQ Capital
Fund performance · per public LP disclosures · 3
as of Sep 2025| Fund | Vintage | Committed | Net IRR | TVPI | DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luminate Capital Partners IV, L.P.LPs: Washington State Investment Board, Oregon Public Employees Retirement System | 2025 | — | — | 0.99x | 0.00x |
| Luminate Capital Partners Fund IIILPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System | 2021 | — | 4.4% | 1.11x | 0.00x |
| Luminate Capital Partners III, L.P.LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Washington State Investment Board, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation +2 more | 2021 | — | 4.4% | 1.10x | — |
Source: public limited-partner disclosures (CalPERS, CalSTRS). Net IRR / TVPI / DPI as reported by the limited partner; a fund's early-year IRR is an interim estimate (J-curve).
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Luminate invest at?
- Luminate invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does Luminate focus on?
- Luminate focuses on Cybersecurity, Deep Tech, Defense Tech, Hardware, Healthtech, Quantum Computing.
- Where is Luminate located?
- Luminate is headquartered in San Francisco.
Co-investors · 3
SOSV is a deep tech venture capital firm that makes first-check pre-seed investments and follow-on rounds in startups focused on human and planetary health, providing lab space and hands-on support at its US locations.
TSV Capital (TSVC), formerly TEEC Angel Fund, is a Silicon Valley seed-stage venture firm that backs technical founders at the earliest stages, having invested in over 200 early-stage companies.
NCT Ventures is a Columbus, Ohio-based investment firm focused on the Midwest, partnering with entrepreneurs and providing hands-on operational support drawn from over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience.
Firms observed investing alongside Luminate, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Luminate's recorded portfolio.
Similar investors
DCVC (Data Collective) is a deep tech venture capital firm that backs entrepreneurs using computational approaches to solve large-scale real-world problems across many industries.
7percent Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs breakthrough deep tech and moonshot companies at pre-seed and seed stages.
Shastra is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs founders building science-led companies in frontier tech, climate tech, and AI, partnering before proof or metrics exist.
Radix Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2024 by entrepreneurs and tech investors, focused on empowering deep tech innovators across Europe, particularly Central and Eastern Europe.
BDC Fund Investments is the fund-of-funds arm of BDC Capital that acts as a limited partner, backing emerging and established fund managers who invest in technology-focused Canadian companies.