Innovating the Future: Our Story

Our Mission

Lumotive is pioneering the era of programmable optics — where light is controlled as intelligently and flexibly as software.

Our patented Light Control Metasurface (LCM™) transforms photonics into a digital platform, unlocking breakthroughs in sensing, optical switching, and communication. Today, LCM technology is powering a new generation of solid-state Lidar systems — compact, software-defined, and high-performance solutions for autonomy, robotics, and smart infrastructure. With more than 150 patents and growing commercial traction, Lumotive is delivering the world’s first digital platform for light — and redefining what’s possible in the optical age.
Awards and Recognition

GSA Awards 2025 Startup to Watch Award

LEARN MORE

CES 2025 Innovation Awards

LEARN MORE

Laser Focus World
2024 Innovators Awards

LEARN MORE

CES 2024
Innovation Awards

LEARN MORE

Fast Company
Next Big Things in Tech 2023

LEARN MORE

CES 2022
Innovation Awards

LEARN MORE

SPIE 2022
PRISM Award​

LEARN MORE

Business Intelligence 2022
Excellence in AI

LEARN MORE

Leadership Team

Sam Heidari, Ph.D.

CEO

Gleb Akselrod, Ph.D.

CTO, founder

Apurva Jain, Ph.D.

VP of Product and
Customer Success

Axel Fuchs, Ph.D.

VP of Business Development

Rakinder Grover

VP of FINANCE and Partnerships

Tristan Joo

EVP of Global Business

Diane Krzysik

VP of Human Resources

Board of Directors

Conrad Burke

BOARD MEMBER

Jim Anderson

Board Member

Sam Heidari, Ph.D.

BOARD MEMBER

Gleb Akselrod, Ph.D.

BOARD MEMBER

Our Culture

Sam Heidari, Ph.D.

CEO, Board Member

Sam Heidari brings over 30 years of leadership experience across a range of technology sectors. He is currently the CEO of Lumotive and serves on the board of Morse Micro. His previous roles include CEO and Chairman of Quantenna Communications, CEO of Doradus Technologies, CTO of Ikanos, and Venture Partner at Cota Capital.

Dr. Heidari has contributed significantly to the tech industry, serving on the Global Semiconductor Alliance Board of Directors and the advisory boards for the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science departments at the University of Southern California.

His achievements have earned him numerous recognitions, including 2014 Executive of the Year by the Golden Bridge Awards, finalist for EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016, and 2017 Executive of the Year by UBM. A senior member of IEEE, Dr. Heidari holds more than 50 U.S. and international patents.

He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.

Gleb Akselrod, Ph.D.

CTO, Founder, Board Member

Gleb Akselrod has more than 10 years experience in photonics and optoelectronics. Prior to Lumotive he was the Director for Optical Technologies at Intellectual Ventures in Bellevue, WA, where he led a program on the commercialization of optical metamaterial and nanophotonic technologies.

Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Metamaterials and Integrated Plasmonics at Duke University, where his work focused on plasmonic nanoantennas and metasurfaces. He completed his Ph.D. in 2013 at MIT, where he was a Hertz Foundation Fellow and an NSF Graduate Fellow studying excitons in materials for solar cells and OLEDs. Prior to MIT, Dr. Akselrod was at Landauer, Inc. where he developed and patented a fluorescent radiation sensor that is currently deployed by the US Army.

Dr. Akselrod received his Ph.D. in Physics from MIT and his B.S. in Engineering Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds more than 30 US Patents and has published over 25 scientific articles.

Apurva Jain, Ph.D.

VP of Product and Customer Success

Apurva Jain is a recognized leader in optics, photonics, and semiconductor innovation, with over a decade of experience bringing transformative optical technologies to market. His expertise spans product strategy & innovation, manufacturing operations, and customer success, guiding products from concept through mass deployment.

Apurva has contributed to multiple patents and publications and has led cross-functional teams delivering breakthrough solutions in sensing, imaging, automation, networking, and communications. Prior to Lumotive, he held leadership roles at Avo Photonics, where he helped commercialize advanced optoelectronic products. He earned a Ph.D. in Optics from CREOL, University of Central Florida, and a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from McGill University.

Beyond technology, Apurva is the founder of CCoffee (www.ccoffee.ca), a social impact venture that invests its profits into children’s education, reflecting his commitment to creating a positive global impact.

Axel Fuchs, Ph.D.

VP of Business Development

Over the past three decades, Axel Fuchs has demonstrated a strong track record in managing key aspects of global high-tech businesses.

In 1995, Dr. Fuchs co-founded the Daimler Benz Research and Technology office. He later joined Motorola's newly established Telematics division, where he led the Systems Engineering Team. Since 2002, Dr. Fuchs has held leadership positions at several Silicon Valley startups, where he played a pivotal role in developing the automotive business and expanding the consumer segment for Simple Devices, which was acquired by Universal Electronics in 2004. He also led business development for Quanergy, growing the business from inception to $50 million.

Dr. Fuchs holds a Ph.D. in Control Engineering from Darmstadt University of Technology.

Rakinder Grover

VP of Strategy and Partnerships

Rakinder Grover is a technology executive with over 25 years of experience. His expertise is in business management, business development and venture capital investing in high-growth, innovation-led companies.

Prior to Lumotive, Mr. Grover held various management roles at Dolby Laboratories and Ikanos. As a Managing Director at Walden International, he was a venture capital investor in early-stage semiconductor and communications startups.

Mr. Grover holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Texas and a bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology.

Tristan Joo

EVP of Global Business

Tristan Joo brings 3 decades of extensive experience in tunable optics, imaging, and optical/3D sensors, successfully having scaled businesses, driven profitable revenue growth, and elevated companies to top industry positions. His specialty is in developing new business and partnership ecosystems with highly effective technical sales and marketing savvy at both small and global organizations.

Prior to Lumotive, Tristan was VP of Business Development/Sales and Corporate Marketing at poLight ASA, an innovator in tunable optics as well as at Ofilm, a compact camera/3D sensing module integrator, both for compact cameras and microdisplays used in AR/MR, and consumer and industrial markets. He has also held executive business leadership roles at ams AG, Maxim Integrated, LensVector, and IBM Microelectronics, where he mass-marketed and sold many world's first or best in class Analog Mixed Signal, imaging/optical semiconductor solutions.

Tristan holds an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics Engineering at Yonsei University in South Korea.

Diane Krzysik

VP of Human Resources

Diane Krzysik is a human resources executive with over 20 years of experience in all facets of human resources and business partnering. Her expertise is in Talent Acquisition, Talent Development and Nurturing a Vibrant and Inclusive Culture. She has deep experience in the following corporate life cycle changes: High-Growth, Public Transition Phase, Mergers & Acquisitions, Down Market Conditions, Restructuring, Management Changes and Market Transitions.

Prior to Lumotive, Ms. Krzysik held management roles at Atomwise and Quantenna. There she built out the HR function, scaled a global high growth start up, supported the company through an IPO and was part of the team that took them through an M&A and subsequent post acquisition transition to a Fortune 500 company. Prior to Quantenna, she held earlier director/manager positions at Arcwave, Carnegie Mellon University and TechTV.

Ms. Krzysik holds a Human Resource Management (HRM), Honors Distinction from the University of California Santa Cruz.

Conrad Burke

Board Member

Conrad Burke is based in Silicon Valley and is managing partner at MetaVC Partners, LLC. He is an entrepreneur and investor, building successful new businesses in renewable energy, communications, nanomaterials, and biosciences. He was founder and CEO of energy materials startup, Innovalight (acquired by DuPont) and was venture partner at Sevin Rosen Funds and Invention Science Fund (ISF).

Some of his past and current board responsibilities include Capella Photonics (acquired by Alcatel-Lucent), Lumotive, Imagia, and the advisory boards of Aelurus (acquired by Broadcom), InnerAnalytics and Cendana Capital. For three years, Mr. Burke served on the board of SolarPower Europe - the European solar industry association. He was a Technology Pioneer at the World Economic Forum in Davos for renewable energy innovations and he is a recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year™ award. Conrad has extensive international experience having worked and lived in Japan, Germany, the U.K. at AT&T, NEC and Lucent Technologies.

He has a MS in Physics from Trinity College and a BS in Physics from University College Dublin in Ireland.

Jim Anderson

Board Member

Jim Anderson was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Coherent Corp. and a member of the Board of Directors on June 3, 2024. He previously served as a director and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Lattice Semiconductor Corporation since September 2018.

Prior to joining Lattice, Mr. Anderson served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Computing and Graphics Business Group at Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD). Prior to AMD, Mr. Anderson held a broad range of leadership positions spanning general management, engineering, sales, marketing, and corporate strategy at companies including Intel, Broadcom (formerly Avago Technologies), and LSI Corporation. 

Mr. Anderson has served on the board of directors of Entegris, Inc., since March 2023, and he currently serves on the board of directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association. He previously served on the board of directors of Sierra Wireless from April 2020 to January 2023.

Mr. Anderson earned an MBA and Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota.