Nation’s First Quantum Accelerator, Duality, Announces First Corporate Supporters

Amazon Web Services will work to advance quantum innovation in Illinois;

Other supporters, including Caruso Ventures, Lathrop GPM LLP, McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff, Silicon Valley Bank, and Toptica Photonics, will provide funding and in-kind support

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Duality, the nation’s first accelerator focused exclusively on supporting quantum science and technology companies, has announced that Amazon Web Services (AWS) is among its first corporate supporters, along with Caruso Ventures, Lathrop GPM LLP, McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff (MBHB), Silicon Valley Bank, and Toptica Photonics to support its inaugural cohort of six startups, and help fuel quantum innovation in Chicago and the region.

Corporate supporters will provide a combination of financial support, mentorship, and other professional services and resources for Duality and its startups. The move comes at a time when nations around the world are racing to unlock the potential of quantum information science, and when researchers and corporations are looking for ways to collaborate more closely and narrow the gap between the laboratory and the marketplace.

“The rapidly evolving field of quantum information science can benefit enormously from strategic partnerships which bring together complementary expertise,” said Paul Alivisatos, president of the University of Chicago and the John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering. “Today’s announcement enhances the support for Duality companies and further strengthens Chicago—and the state of Illinois—as a global center for quantum innovation.”

Duality was launched in April 2021 by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago and the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE), along with founding partners, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne National Laboratory, and P33. Its first cohort of startups, selected from a competitive pool of applicants from all over the globe, include Axion Technologies, Great Lakes Crystal Technologies, qBraid, QuantCAD, Quantopticon, and Super.tech.

As the global leader in cloud computing, AWS will provide financial support for Duality and equip the Cohort 1 startups with tools and resources to help accelerate their innovations. AWS has more than 200 fully featured services, including Amazon Braket, a quantum computing service that provides researchers and developers with access to multiple quantum processors integrated in the AWS Cloud, the preferred cloud provider for Duality. Each startup will be eligible to participate in AWS Activate, a program designed to help startups grow their businesses with free tools and resources, including credits to help cover costs of using the company’s services, such as Amazon Braket. Additionally, AWS will provide each Duality startup with training and enablement on AWS services and access to its top mentors with entrepreneurial experience.

“By bringing together academic research and business expertise, Duality offers quantum startups a great path for growth,” said Simone Severini, Director of Quantum Computing at AWS. “We love startups at AWS, and the startups in Duality’s Cohort 1 show promise across a broad sector of the quantum landscape. We’re excited to be working closely with them as they develop their businesses and to help drive innovation for the quantum industry as a whole.”

Learn more at polsky.uchicago.edu.

About Duality

Duality is the first accelerator program in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to supporting the launch and growth of quantum companies. Led by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago and the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE), along with founding partners, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne National Laboratory, and P33, Duality is a 12-month program based in Chicago that offers innovative quantum startups a comprehensive set of resources, including entrepreneurial and business training, mentorship, technical expertise, industry exposure, funding, and the opportunity to access state-of-the-art facilities and be immersed in Chicago’s rapidly-developing quantum startup community. Learn more at dualityaccelerator.com.