Ilayda Samilgil
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER AT LLUME
ILAYDA SAMILGIL IS AN ENTREPRENEUR leading a company developing an innovative technology that could transform the collection of biometric data. But at heart, she is still a bit of a researcher.
Growing up in Istanbul to a family steeped in science, Samilgil always knew she’d pursue a technical field. “My parents and family were all in the science space. Culturally, that was the environment I grew up in,” she said. “If you’re good at it, you do science or something that uses science.”
Although she didn’t settle on mechanical engineering until college, the path felt inevitable. After dabbling in different engineering disciplines during her first year at Cornell, she ultimately chose mechanical engineering for its blend of math, physics, and problem-solving.
While at Cornell, Samilgil worked on a soft, stretchable fiber-optic sensor system called Light Lace that uses photonics rather than traditional electronics to recognize different types of touch. The technology initially was developed for robots. The focus changed when she saw the advantages of photonic sensors.
“The sensors are cheap to manufacture, and they have so many benefits, whether it’s on robots or humans.”
—Ilayda Samilgil
Ilayda Samilgil wishes she had the superpower of being able to fall asleep instantly—especially on planes or in moving vehicles. “The ability to just shut my brain off and sleep when I want—that would be a game changer,” she said.
“The sensors are cheap to manufacture, and they have so many benefits, whether it’s on robots or humans,” she said. That potential led Samilgil to spin the tech out of the Organic Robotics Lab and co-found a startup around the technology.
Launching a company came with its own learning curve. Though she had minored in entrepreneurship and innovation, much of her education happened on the job. “There’s just so much that I couldn’t have googled,” she recalled. “Having a support system—mentors, advisors, and startup resources—was really important.”
One of the earliest challenges she faced? Hiring the right people. “Not because we couldn’t find talent,” she explained. “But because we didn’t know exactly what we needed to hire for.” The process sharpened her ability to translate engineering goals into team-building strategies—something that’s now one of her proudest accomplishments.
What began under the lab’s name, Organic Robotics Corp, now operates as Llume—a more accessible brand for its focus on wearable technology. Light Lace’s flexibility and affordability made it a strong fit for applications in sports tech and human performance monitoring, particularly during the remote-work boom of the COVID-19 era. Llume’s current product is a chest strap for athletes, now in beta testing, designed to capture real-time biomechanical data.
Beyond athletics and an MLB collaboration, Llume has also partnered with the Department of Defense. “We try and combine the things we do for the commercial sector and the defense sector in a way that they both benefit each other,” Samilgil said. “There are high-performance athletes both within DOD and in the commercial world.”
Looking ahead, she’s focused on scaling Llume’s products and refining user feedback. But she also leaves the door open for aspiring engineers and entrepreneurs in the Boston area to reach out to the startup if it piques their interest.
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