Six early-stage startup companies have been selected to compete for a top prize of 10,000 US dollars at the 14th annual SPIE Startup Challenge at Photonics West on 30 January. The Challenge is a competitive entrepreneurial platform for new businesses that utilize optics and photonics for innovative products or applications. Participating teams are competing for sponsored prizes, in addition to gaining increased visibility with potential investors.

The industry-judged competition will hear from teams of finalists pitching new products in photonics-enabled healthcare and deep tech. Competition judges include venture capitalists and business-development experts from the photonics industry who will vet applicants for their business case, financial case, and competitive advantages. Teams competing in the Startup Challenge will get feedback on their business and pitch from business-development experts and investors.

This year’s products encompass innovations in medical applications, industry supply-chain solutions, and optical manufacturing. The 2024 SPIE Startup Challenge finalists and their technologies are:

• ClearVision: A non-invasive alternative to permanent vision-correction surgeries based on corneal sculpting with femtosecond laser technology.
• Soliddd: A lens array coupled with a light-field display designed for the next generation of macular-degeneration vision correction.
• UriMetrics: A lens-free imaging solution for reducing the incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI).
• Momentum Optics: A laser-projection-based manufacturing machine for glass and ceramics optics that eliminates the need for specialized tooling, molds, or photomasks, increasing the speed of optical manufacturing while decreasing cost.
• Photonect: A technology that decreases the insertion loss between a photonic chip and an optical fiber, offering a four-fold improvement to current industry standards.
• TRAQC: A real-time inspection solution utilizing THz radiation and metamaterial technology for the printed electronics industry, ensuring quality while reducing waste.

More information about the 2024 finalists and the SPIE Startup Challenge can be found at the SPIE Web site.

Further reading: Photonics West for the win – Companies receive Prism Awards and Startup Challenge prizes at Photonics West, wileyindustrynews.com, 03 February 2023