Northeast Microelectronics Coalition Awards $200k to Lightfinder Through PROPEL Grant Program

The Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), today announced a new cohort of eight startups selected to receive $1,013,287 in combined funding through its Powering Regional Opportunities for Prototyping Microelectronics (PROPEL) program. PROPEL awards are made through a competitive, merit-based process aligned to NEMC’s role within the federally funded Microelectronics Commons, a national network advancing domestic semiconductor innovation in areas that include 5G/6G technology, artificial intelligence (AI) hardware and quantum technology. This approach ensures that the most promising innovations are supported regardless of location or affiliations, strengthening the broader ecosystem and creating downstream opportunities for collaboration, domestic manufacturing and workforce development across the region. Lightfinder was awarded $200,000 for work developing chip-scale spectrometers and imaging solutions that deliver lab-grade optical sensing in a miniaturized, scalable form. Built on silicon photonics and paired with intelligent software, the platform enables real-time analysis in places legacy systems can’t reach – powering decisions in manufacturing, energy, health care and beyond. 

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Also covered in Semiconductor Digest.