Fundraising Fox
San Francisco · Pre-Seed–Seed · 1 people tracked
Also known as Luminate Capital Management, Inc.
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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
Sujatha Ramanujan is Chief Investment Officer at NextCorps and Managing Director at Luminate. She holds a PhD and has led global teams across portfolio management, investment development, and technology commercialization, with experience bringing Class 3 FDA-regulated medical devices to multiple continents and overseeing operations exceeding $50M EBITDA. Her technical background spans optics, photonics, imaging, semiconductors, and medical devices, supported by over 50 patents and numerous peer-reviewed publications.
What they invest in
from 5 of 15 portfolio companiesDeep Tech ×3Enterprise Software ×2New Materials ×2SaaS ×2Advanced Manufacturing ×1AI & Machine Learning ×1Biotech ×1Cleantech ×1
HQs:United States×8
Portfolio companies · 15 tracked
alumni founders can tell you what the program is really likeBy year:2026 · 62023 · 22022 · 12021 · 22020 · 22018 · 114 dated
PDI Technologies provides software and data solutions for convenience retail and petroleum wholesale businesses to manage operations, supply chain, and customer experience across 60+ countries.
Enterprise SoftwareRetail TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Greg GilkersoninJimmy Frangis(CEO, PDI)inDouglas Henderson(Chief Strategy Officer)inLinnea Geiss(Chief Operating Officer)inNicole Wu(Chief Financial Officer)inBeth Strickland(Chief Human Resources Officer)in
Co-investorsTA AssociatesGenstarInsight Partners
Nigerian digital media company creating engaging content for African youth audiences.
Co-investorsFuture AfricaMaC Venture CapitalRising Tide Africa (RTA)Unicorn Capital Partners
Conexiom 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 CapitalICONIQ Growth
Diamond Quanta develops the Adamantine Platform, an engineered-diamond interface technology for optical, thermal, semiconductor, photonic, and quantum systems.
Deep TechNew MaterialsQuantum ComputingSemiconductorsMountain View, US
Adam Khan(Founder & CEO)inMichael Pierantozzi(Co-Founder & COO)in
Co-investorsSilicon CatalystSOSVHAX
Double Helix Optics develops 3D imaging and sensing technology for scientific microscopy, based on its engineered point spread function (ePSF) and Nobel Prize-winning super-resolution methods.
BiotechDeep TechHardwareBoulder, US
Leslie Kimerling(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inRafael Piestun(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
San Francisco, US
Christopher Gooley(Executive Officer, Director)Ujjal Kohli(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardKaran Mehandru(Director)Prakash Ramamurthy(Director)Chuck Dietrich(Director)
Co-investorsElev8.vcKibo VenturesSony Ventures CorporationI Squared Capital
Herndon, US
Paul. Drysch(Executive Officer)inKurt Brendley(Executive Officer)Keith Brendley(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsClean Energy VentureElev8.vcI Squared CapitalStargazer Ventures
Boston, US
Nishikant Sonwalkar(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardWilliam Temple Withers Fennell, Jr.(Director)
Co-investorsClean Energy Ventures
Suden Density develops innovative coating technology for smart coatings.
CleantechDeep TechNew MaterialsSpace TechBoston, US
Co-investorsClean Energy VentureClean Energy Ventures
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
AB PhotonicsBrightlight PhotonicsGekko PhotonicsModendoUptrust
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
- How many investments has Luminate made?
- Luminate has 15 tracked investments, including 6 dated in the last 24 months.
- 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.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamDr. Sujatha Ramanujan Shares Luminate is Looking for Cohort 4 Startups
NextCorps · Sujatha Ramanujan
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.
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