SPIE 2023 Startup Challenge Open for Applications
15.9.2022 20:35:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Applications are now open for the 2023 SPIE Startup Challenge. The annual entrepreneurial pitch competition is held by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, as part of SPIE Photonics West. In 2023, Photonics West will be held 28 January to 2 February in San Francisco's Moscone Center, with the SPIE Startup Challenge finals held 31 January.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915005944/en/
VitreaLab's Jonas Zeuner pitching his way to the top prize at the SPIE Startup Challenge in 2022. (Photo: Business Wire)
The SPIE Startup Challenge is a competitive platform for new businesses that utilize optics and photonics for innovative products or applications. Participating teams compete for sponsored prizes, in addition to gaining increased visibility with potential investors.
Light-based technologies enable developments in a proliferating number of areas, from healthcare and high-speed communications to quantum computing, AR/VR/MR, and self-driving vehicles. The annual SPIE Startup Challenge – now celebrating its 13th year – provides a distinctive and vibrant platform for optics and photonics startups that are creating innovative products, applications, and technologies. Startup Challenge winners that have gone on to wider commercial success include Cellino Biotech, Double Helix Optics, PhotoniCare, C. Light Technologies, Circle Optics, and In A Blink.
The industry-judged competition will hear from teams pitching new products in photonics-enabled healthcare and deep tech, culling the original applicants down to 10 finalists. 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 applying for the Startup Challenge will get feedback on their business and pitch from business-development experts and investors.
The SPIE Startup Challenge application deadline is 20 October. Learn more about the competition, and apply here.
About SPIE
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, SPIE has contributed more than $22 million to the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development. www.spie.org.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915005944/en/
Contact information
Daneet Steffens
Public Relations Manager
daneets@spie.org
+1 360 685 5478
@SPIEtweets
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Verdantis Launches MRO360 “The World's First AI-Native Spare Parts Intelligence Platform”8.5.2026 16:40:00 EEST | Press release
Verdantis today announced the global launch of MRO360, a purpose-built AI platform that transforms how asset-intensive organizations manage their MRO spare parts inventory. Designed for manufacturers, oil and gas operators, mining companies, utilities, and other industrial enterprises, MRO360 deploys nine interconnected AI agents that continuously forecast demand, score parts criticality, manage obsolescence risk, calculate dynamic reorder points, helps intercompany plant transfer thereby realizing the exact dollar value of every optimization opportunity across a spare parts catalog in real time. Unlike traditional EAM and CMMS platforms built on static rules, MRO360's agents adapt continuously as demand patterns, supplier performance, and equipment health evolve. For the first time, a maintenance planner can see which work orders are at supply risk today and what to do about it. A CFO can see a live dollar figure of releasable excess inventory. “We have spent over twenty years working
Andersen Global Expands African Platform with Addition of Member Firm in Namibia8.5.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Andersen Global advances its growth across Africa with the addition of Andersen in Namibia, as Windhoek Advisory & Taxation adopts the Andersen brand, strengthening its ability to serve businesses operating in one of southern Africa’s dynamic emerging markets. A collaborating firm since 2021, Andersen in Namibia is a locally owned professional services firm delivering accounting, tax, and business advisory services tailored to the unique needs of Namibia’s business environment. With expertise spanning mining, agriculture, logistics, tourism, and financial services, sectors critical to Namibia’s economy, the firm supports both domestic enterprises and international businesses establishing operations in the region. Through cloud-based technology and data-driven insights, Andersen in Namibia delivers efficient, scalable solutions that enable businesses to optimize operations, manage tax obligations across jurisdictions, and make informed strategic decisions. “Our transition to the Anderse
Cyble Positioned as a Challenger in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cyberthreat Intelligence Technologies8.5.2026 16:22:00 EEST | Press release
Cyble today announced it has been recognized as a Challenger in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cyberthreat Intelligence Technologies. The company believes this recognition underscores Cyble’s mission to make threat intelligence truly operational—delivering AI-native capabilities that enable enterprises, government agencies, and MSSPs to shift from reactive security to proactive, intelligence-driven defense. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260508164528/en/ Cyble Named a Challenger in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cyberthreat Intelligence Technologies "Security teams are under constant pressure to respond faster with greater accuracy," said Beenu Arora, Co-Founder and CEO, Cyble. "We believe this recognition highlights our focus on delivering intelligence that drives real outcomes—cutting through noise, accelerating response, and enabling confident decision-making at scale." Intelligence That Acts
WHOOP Expands Health Platform with On-Demand Clinician Access and New AI Features8.5.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
WHOOP, the human performance company, today announced a new suite of health and AI-driven enhancements and feature updates across the WHOOP memberships, marking a major step forward in its evolution into an intelligent health platform. These updates deepen the company’s commitment to delivering highly personalized, accurate, and actionable insights. They signal the company’s expansion beyond performance optimization into clinical-grade health support. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260508464188/en/ WHOOP Expands Health Platform with On-Demand Clinician Access and New AI Features “WHOOP is a membership, and we take that seriously,” said Ed Baker, Chief Product Officer of WHOOP. “We’re always asking how we can deliver more value to our members, and these upcoming features are some of the most meaningful we’ve ever built, from bringing clinician support directly into the app to advancing our AI coaching to be mo
Reply Presents the Jury of the Second Edition of the AI Music Contest: This Year Again, Finalists Will Perform on the NOVA Stage of Kappa FuturFestival in Turin8.5.2026 14:24:00 EEST | Press release
Reply, [EXM, STAR: REY], an international group specialised in the development of new AI-enabled business models and always distinguished by a strong drive for innovation, renews its commitment to creative experimentation with the second edition of the ReplyAI Music Contest. The initiative, organised in collaboration with Kappa FuturFestival—one of Europe’s leading festivals dedicated to electronic music—takes the form of an international competition aimed at creatives and innovators who use AI technologies to explore new ways of integrating sound and image, enhancing the role of artificial intelligence in live performances. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260508361016/en/ This initiative is part of the Reply Challenges, a programme of technological and creative competitions that reflects Reply’s commitment to developing innovative training models capable of engaging younger generations. Today, the Reply Chall
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom