SPIE Startup Challenge network of experts

Meet the judges, mentors, and investors supporting the pitch competition
Lynore Abbott, NSF I-Corps Program Expert at the National Science Foundation

Lynore Abbott

NSF I-Corps Program Expert at the National Science Foundation

Troy Anderson, Patent Attorney, Suiter Swantz IP

Troy Anderson

Patent Attorney, Suiter Swantz IP

Markus Arzberger, Business Segment Director Vital Signs at ams OSRAM

Markus Arzberger

Business Segment Director Vital Signs at ams OSRAM

Robert Bernath, Director, Townes Institute Science and Technology Experimentation Facility

Robert Bernath

Director, Townes Institute Science and Technology Experimentation Facility

William Burgess, Co-CEO, Power Technology, Inc.

William Burgess

Co-CEO, Power Technology, Inc.

Song Yop Chung, VP of Sales, North America at Jenoptik (USA)

Song Yop Chung

VP of Sales, North America at Jenoptik

Garrett Cole, Technology Manager at Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions

Garrett Cole

Technology Manager at Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions

Drew DeJarnette, Engineering Manager at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

Drew DeJarnette

Engineering Manager at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

John Dexheimer, President, LightWave Advisors, Inc.

John Dexheimer

President, LightWave Advisors, Inc.

Damon Diehl, Director of Technology Integration, NextCorps Luminate

Damon Diehl

Director of Technology Integration, NextCorps Luminate

Bill Donovan, Business Unit Leader, ThorLabs

Bill Donovan

Business Unit Leader, ThorLabs

Thomas Dudley, Director, Photonics Center at Boston University

Thomas Dudley

Director, Photonics Center at Boston University

Peter Egerton, Chief Commercial Officer, Alluxa

Peter Egerton

Chief Commercial Officer, Alluxa

Sergey Egorov, Owner, Del Mar Photonics

Sergey Egorov

Owner, Del Mar Photonics

Rebecca Fahrig, VP of Innovation for Business Area Advance Therapies, Siemens Healthcare GmbH

Rebecca Fahrig

VP of Innovation for Business Area Advance Therapies, Siemens Healthcare GmbH

Marc Himel, Director of Inside Sales and Customer Success, MKS Instruments

Marc Himel

Director of Inside Sales and Customer Success, MKS Instruments

Agnes Hübscher, Senior Director Global Strategic Marketing, Edmund Optics

Agnes Hübscher

Senior Director Global Strategic Marketing, Edmund Optics

Frank Levinson, General Partner at Phoenix Venture Partners

Frank Levinson

General Partner at Phoenix Venture Partners

Zhenlin Li, Partner at Betawave Ventures and Photon Venture Capital

Zhenlin Li

Partner at Betawave Ventures and Photon Venture Capital

Anjul Loiacono, Vice President, Quantum Matter Platforms at Infleqtion

Anjul Loiacono

Vice President, Quantum Matter Platforms at Infleqtion

Nick MacKinnon, Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs at SafetySpect Inc.

Nick MacKinnon

Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs at SafetySpect Inc

Michele Nichols, President, Launch Team Inc.

Michele Nichols

President, Launch Team Inc.

Richard Oberreiter, Managing Executive, Hamamatsu Ventures

Richard Oberreiter

Managing Executive, Hamamatsu Ventures

Shoichi Osawa, Senior Director at Sony Electronics

Shoichi Osawa

Senior Director at Sony Electronics

Andrew Pilon, Senior Director, Business Development for Surgical Vision, Johnson & Johnson Vision

Andrew Pilon

Senior Director, Business Development for Surgical Vision, Johnson & Johnson Vision

Dave Rogers, Founder and Director of Nanovation

Dave Rogers

Founder and Director of Nanovation

Christopher Rowan, Founder and Managing Director, Arscentia

Christopher Rowan

Founder and Managing Director, Arscentia

Lars Sandström, Vice President Life Sciences, G&H Photonics

Lars Sandström

Vice President Life Sciences, G&H Photonics

Jeffrey Sercel, Technical Business Consultant

Jeffrey Sercel

Technical Business Consultant

Utkarsh Sharma, Chief Technology Officer, AI Optics

Utkarsh Sharma

Chief Technology Officer, AI Optics

Cather Simpson, Professor, The University of Auckland and Partner, Pacific Channel, Ltd.

Cather Simpson

Professor, The University of Auckland and Partner, Pacific Channel, Ltd.

Linda Smith, President, Ceres Technology Advisors, Inc.

Linda Smith

President, Ceres Technology Advisors, Inc.

Babak Tehranchi, Patent Attorney and Partner at Perkins Cole LLP

Babak Tehranchi

Patent Attorney and Partner at Perkins Cole LLP

Mark Tolbert, CEO of TOPTICA Photonics, Inc.

Mark Tolbert

CEO of TOPTICA Photonics, Inc.

Ian Tracy, Cofounder, Anchored In Ltd.

Ian Tracy

Cofounder, Anchored In Ltd.

Aaron Weinroth, Commercialization and External Innovation with Panaxium

Aaron Weinroth

Commercialization and External Innovation with Panaxium

Homan Yuen, Investor, Founder, Entrepreneur

Homan Yuen

Investor, Founder, Entrepreneur