The Luminate optics, photonics, and imaging (OPI) accelerator in Rochester, NY (USA) has named business executive and entrepreneur, Sujatha Ramanujan, as its managing director. 
Ramanujan began her career by first working for an early stage company and then launching an optics-related startup out of her garage with other graduate students. She relocated to Rochester and joined the Kodak R&D team as a research scientist. Eventually she became director of strategic alliances, and then moved to Carestream Health where she held titles of CTO of Mammography CAD and Worldwide Product line manager.
In 2011, Ramanujan joined the executive team of a very early stage nanoparticle company, Intrinsiq Materials, as COO and VP. At Intrinsiq she was responsible for setting up U.S. operations, working with VCs and investors, overseeing global sales and marketing, IP strategy, and strategic planning.
"I am truly delighted to have the opportunity to lead this high impact program with potential to change the OPI landscape for years to come, says Ramanujan. "I started my professional career in the field of optics, and it's only fitting that I can once again immerse myself in this exciting and enabling field as the Managing Director of Luminate."
Jim Senall, President of High Tech Rochester, notes that the original vision behind the Luminate accelerator was to provide OPI enabled startups across the country with a truly unique experience that would improve their chance of succeeding in the marketplace. By spending six months in Rochester, with access to Luminate's specialized university labs, faculty, and established OPI companies, along with an intensive curriculum and experienced mentors, startups will get what Senall calls "an unfair advantage."
Of Ramanujan, he adds, having firsthand experience in her own startups, her deep network, and passion for helping early stage companies, "Sujatha will make this vision a reality."
Luminate has also announced its advisory board, consisting of a group of nationally recognized OPI entrepreneurs, innovators, business executives, and investors:
Eugene Arthurs - CEO, SPIE
Milton Chang - Managing Director, Incubic Management
Stuart Elby - SVP, Data Center Business Group, Infinera
Stephen D. Fantone - Founder & President, Optikos Corporation
Mike Foley - Managing Director, Artemis Capital Partners, L.P.
Chair, Don Golini - Founder, QED Technologies
Jay Kumler - President, Jenoptik Optical Systems
Michael Liehr - CEO, AIM Photonics
Duncan Moore - Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship, University of Rochester
Ryne Raffaelle - VP for Research and Associate Provost, Rochester Institute of Technology
Darius Sankey - CEO, 3Discovered
Jim Senall - President, High Tech Rochester
