University of Chicago launches quantum startup accelerator

In the USA, the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Chicago Quantum Exchange research hub have announced the launch of Duality, an accelerator programme dedicated to startup companies focused on quantum science and technology. Presented as the first hub of its kind in the USA, Duality is meant to ‘help startups bridge the gap between the laboratory and the marketplace that is a critical barrier to success for emerging technologies’. Resources to be made available to innovative quantum startups include entrepreneurial training, business expertise and mentorship, technical expertise and the opportunity to access state-of-the-art facilities, industry exposure, and funding. The hub will benefit from an investment of minimum US$ 20 million over the next 10 years (from corporate and academic partners) and will support up to 10 quantum startups every year. It will be based at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.