What Are the Emerging Opportunities for Startups in Physics?

[gaussianblur]

What opportunities are there for startups in physics? I'd imagine startup companies aren't doing theoretical or astrophysics. Do they design software, make game technologies...?

 

[elkement]

What opportunities are there for startups in physics? I'd imagine startup companies aren't doing theoretical or astrophysics. Do they design software, make game technologies...?

There are indeed many physicists who founded startups in the software / IT industry. The most famous one is probably one of the founders of SAP.
I have come across software companies that provide specialized software for engineering that requires some physics knowledge (such as: numerical solutions of the heat transfer equation).

In my country you could also become a consulting engineer focussed on some field in applied physics or engieering, e.g. optics, acoustics, building technology (as I understood other discussions here this is not the same everywhere and in the US you really need to have a degree in engineering to do this).
Typically you would be engaged in planning and implementing related systems. You might also develop a standardized product - I can remember a physics startup that developed a technique to create thin diamond coatings.

 

[Locrian]

A few years ago during my job search I saw lots of startups. Organic semiconductors, various thin film deposition technologies and medical device manufacturers are some I can remember. I even worked at a startup almost a decade ago, prior to getting my Masters.

Whether they exist now, I don't know, but when I was looking for them I found them. The problem was that they all had very specific requirements in mind - they were looking for PhD's in the area they were working in. Sometimes inquiring with them turns up more general lab tech jobs that aren't posted, but you may or may not be interested in that.