Winner Spotlight
Lightfinder won with a compact sensing platform designed to bring metrology inside the tool. The 18-month-old MIT spinout based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is developing a chip-scale optical depth-sensing instrument that could help fabs move closer to real-time, automated closed-loop process control by reducing the need for manual, time-consuming measurements.
What they’re saying:
“Being in front of a multi-trillion-dollar market cap audience gave us exposure we simply wouldn’t get otherwise—and seven minutes of their attention to tell our story is incredibly powerful,” said Lightfinder CEO Diana Mojahed. “This win is really a testament to our team, and we’re excited to scale Lightfinder and bring our innovation to reality.”
Meet the Runner-Up
NSC of Singapore earned runner-up recognition for an optical interconnect technology that uses light to move data between chips more efficiently than conventional electrical wiring.
What they’re saying:
CEO Andrew Kim said the approach addresses a major bottleneck in AI and HPC by enabling higher bandwidth, lower power use, reduced heat, and better scaling for AI systems.
Featured Speakers
Tim Archer
Audrey Charles
Sesha Varadarajan
Srini Ananth
Ben Bajarin
Jim Chambers
Tony Chao
Heejin Chung
Shahin Farshchi
Siddharth Gupta
Tony Kim
Manish Muthal
Gayathri Radhakrishnan
Akshay Singh
Michael Stewart
Lucas Tsai
Raja Swaminathan
Kevin Chen
Yvonne Lutsch
Chee Ping Lee
2026 Finalists
Ten breakthrough startups have been selected from around the world to compete live for a $250,000 investment, mentorship, and strategic partnerships. Each is pushing the frontier of AI-enabled semiconductor and advanced manufacturing technology.
Poster Session
The poster session showcases startups from Lam Capital’s portfolio, providing an interactive setting for deeper technical and business discussions during the lunch networking period.
Participating Companies
Our event convened over 300 distinguished industry leaders in semiconductor and AI, prominent deeptech VC/CVC investors, as well as senior technologists and executives from Lam Research. Together, we are creating a platform where cutting-edge startups can build meaningful relationships with potential investors, customers, and strategic partners.
