Duality Announces Technical Advisory Committee with Deep Expertise in Quantum

The Duality Accelerator is pleased to announce the members of its Technical Advisory Committee, which will support participating startups with business know-how as well as deep expertise in quantum science and technology.

Duality, a 12-month accelerator program is based in Chicago, is the first program in the nation that is exclusively dedicated to accelerating new startup companies focused on quantum science and technology. 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.

“We are excited to welcome these distinguished Technical Advisory Committee members to Duality,” said Juan de Pablo, vice president for national laboratories, science strategy, innovation, and global initiatives at the University of Chicago and chair of the Duality Governing Board. “The accelerator has already fueled an impressive first cohort of quantum startup companies, and the Committee will contribute its expertise in selecting the next cohort. We look forward to celebrating these companies’ successes as the region continues to solidify its reputation as a hub for quantum science and technology.”

The Committee will provide guidance, technical recommendations, mentorship, and expertise to startups participating in Duality. As part of this, they also will help select Cohort 2 of the accelerator.

“Our Technical Advisory Committee includes a diverse group of accomplished entrepreneurs, executives, investors and scientists from all over the world. We are looking forward to working with them to provide the inspiration and the leadership required to accelerate the adoption of quantum solutions in the marketplace,” said Chuck Vallurupalli, senior director, Duality.

Duality Technical Advisory Committee members include:

• Jean-Francois Bobier, partner and director, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
• Michael Brett, worldwide business development and go-to-market strategy for quantum computing, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Dan Caruso, serial entrepreneur; managing director, Caruso Ventures; investor and former executive chairman, ColdQuanta
• Monisha Ghosh, research professor, University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; affiliate, Argonne National Laboratory
• Celia Merzbacher, executive director, QED-C
• Mark Saffman, professor of physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison; chief scientist for quantum information, ColdQuanta
• Rafael R. Salmi, global president, Richardson RFPD (An Arrow Electronics Company)
• Ray Sharma, founder and CEO, Extreme Venture Partners

“The Technical Advisory Committee brings rich and diverse perspectives to Duality that will help us keep a finger on the pulse of this rapidly evolving field. We are incredibly lucky to have this lineup,” said Preeti Chalsani, deputy director of Duality and director of industry partnerships for quantum information science at the Polsky Center and CQE.

“Adding leaders with such remarkable expertise to our Technical Advisory Committee further strengthens Duality programming – and underscores the region’s leadership in quantum and technology. Their support and knowledge will be important resources for current and future cohort startups, in addition to the Leadership Team and Governing Board,” added Susan Martinis, vice chancellor for research and innovation, UIUC, and vice-chair of the Duality Governing Board.

Duality in October 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.

Corporate supporters provide a combination of financial support, mentorship, and other professional services and resources for Duality and its startups.

The first cohort of startups were selected from a competitive pool of applicants from all over the globe and include Axion Technologies, Great Lakes Crystal Technologies, qBraid, QuantCAD, Quantopticon, and Super.tech.