Four quantum startup companies have been named to the latest cohort for the University of Chicago's quantum accelerator.
Launched in 2021 as the first accelerator program designed to support quantum startups, Duality has supported 11 startups across the globe up to this point that are developing software and hardware technologies for quantum computing, communications and sensing. It is part of UChicago's $20 million Polsky Deep Tech Ventures initiative.
"The first time I heard about quantum was five to six years ago," Ezunial Burts, director of Duality, told Chicago Inno. "I was working at Boeing at the time that they launched their quantum organization."
Burts explained that even through the 737 MAX crashes, with the company taking on "tens of billions of dollars in debt," Boeing remained committed to "doubling down" on developing quantum technology, which told him everything he needed to know about the future of the space.
Fast forward to today and Burts thinks that quantum is now at a true "inflection point."
And he thinks that Chicago is poised to be "the leading hub globally" for quantum not only from a research standpoint but also from an ecosystem building standpoint.
UChicago recently partnered with IBM, Google and the University of Tokyo to develop a quantum-centric computer and the startups selected to the school's latest cohort are businesses that are tackling real world problems with quantum science and quantum technologies.
Each startup will receive $50,000 in unrestricted funding and mentorship.
During the first three months of the one-year program, the startups undergo formal instruction and business and entrepreneurial training taught at UChicago's Booth School and Polsky Center.
Startups from the first two cohorts have secured more than $12.1 million in funding, according to Burts. Duality's inaugural cohort received $4 million in additional funding.
Startups selected to third cohort include:
- Icarus Quantum: a Boulder, Colorado-based startup that's developing technology that can generate quantum light reliably and efficiently.
- Ingenii: a New York-based startup that's aiming to accelerate the adoption of quantum computing.
- Ki3 Photonics: a Montreal, Canada-based startup that's developing solutions for the scalability, energy consumption and distribution of quantum photonics signals over optical fiber networks.
- ReOrbital: a Hermosa, Beach, California-based startup that wants to be the first company to mass produce products in microgravity at scale.
