From R&D to Commercialisation: How CORNERSTONE Supports Silicon Photonics Startups

 

Earlier this month, the CORNERSTONE team joined Future Worlds for their Demo Day 2026 to celebrate some of the most exciting research-led startups emerging from the University of Southampton and wider ecosystem.

Among the founders pitching in London were Theo Rangarajan of Luminetic and Farah Comis of Altro Photonics. These two early-stage companies, which we were proud to support throughout their development, are working on photonics technologies with great potential. Supporting startups has always been a key part of our mission at CORNERSTONE.

In this blog, we delve into how we support startup journeys – from R&D to commercialisation, the challenges of scaling silicon photonics startups, and the role we and Future Worlds play in strengthening the UK photonics ecosystem.

Farah Comis, Founder of Altro Photonics

Allowing startups to shine

Future Worlds is the University of Southampton’s on-campus startup accelerator, helping founders turn ideas into successful companies through funding, mentoring and a network of investor support. They challenge researchers to ask “why not?” and give them the support they need to think big and pursue ideas that could change our world.

Demo Day was the culmination of that journey, bringing together startup founders, investors, and deep tech enthusiasts at the iconic Ministry of Sound to showcase the next generation of ventures.

At this year’s event, six startups pitched live across sectors spanning AI, healthtech, energy, photonics and more.

Why scaling in silicon photonics is challenging

Scaling a silicon photonics startup involves more than just an idea. Founders need to navigate design complexity, fabrication constraints, testing requirements and the broader lack of manufacturing infrastructure in the UK to scale their company.

For many startups, these challenges highlight the importance of external support. By partnering with Future Worlds, we assist startups in overcoming these obstacles by providing funding, access to our facilities, and a collaborative environment where founders can test their device designs and learn from our specialists.

Silicon photonics has huge potential across high-growth industries such as data centres, communications, quantum and AI, where performance and energy efficiency are critical. It’s therefore crucial that we champion startups in this space to build the applications and technologies that will underpin future digital, climate and security applications.

A connected ecosystem, one that supports research and development from conception through to commercialisation, is essential to secure these technologies for the future.

How CORNERSTONE supports founders and innovators

Last year, for the first time, CORNERSTONE, in partnership with Future Worlds, launched a specialist silicon photonics stream at Future Worlds Bootcamp, open to SiPh startup founders from universities across the UK. Silicon Photonics founders on the Future Worlds Cohort had the opportunity to apply for a wallet of up to £40k of equity-free funding to accelerate the growth of their startup through access to support such as prototyping, equipment, and expertise.

Two founders who pitched at Demo Day 2026 are members of the SiPh cohort working on challenges in photonic integrated circuits. Luminetic, founded by Theo Rangarajan, is developing digital photonic architectures that use laser-based logic gates for high-speed data processing, while Altro Photonics, founded by Farah Comis, is building an integrated photonic chip platform that combines multiple high-performance optical functions in a single architecture.

‘CORNERSTONE’s investment in the Future Worlds SiPh cohort has provided me with an exceptional springboard for my company into the UK and global semiconductor ecosystem.’ – Theo Rangarajan, Founder of Luminetic

 

Theo Rangarajan, founder of Luminetic

Building the UK photonics ecosystem

CORNERSTONE’s support for Future Worlds startups sits within our wider mission to champion the use of integrated silicon photonics. We aim to build a pipeline of silicon photonics-enabled companies across multiple sectors by 2030, underpinned by our open-source foundry and innovation centre.

Progression in photonics is built on collaboration, and the goal is to make it easier for founders and researchers to move from early concepts toward commercial and robust solutions. As the UK continues to grow its capability in silicon photonics, initiatives like Future Worlds and the SiPh cohort scheme play a vital role in ensuring that these ventures have the support they need to soar.

Looking ahead

We were proud to support founders Theo Rangarajan and Farah Comis as they showcased their ideas at Demo Day 2026, and we look forward to seeing how their companies flourish over time.

Their work is a strong reminder of the talent, ambition and technical depth emerging from the University of Southampton and the wider startup ecosystem in the UK.

If you are building a startup idea in silicon photonics and looking for support to take the next step, applications for the next Future Worlds cohort will open soon. Express your interest here and we will follow up.

Explore how we can support your journey: C-PIC Innovation Fund – CORNERSTONE | Technology platforms