CavilinQ Secures $8.8M Seed Round to Unlock Utility-Scale Quantum Computing
Shankar Menon completed his PhD at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.
CavilinQ has raised $8.8 million in seed funding to develop scalable quantum computing architecture based on pioneering research at the University of Chicago.
The round was led by QVT, with participation from Safar Partners, MFV Partners, Serendipity Capital, and Harper Court Ventures, a $25 million deep tech fund launched last year targeting transformative technologies emerging from the University of Chicago.
“The University of Chicago ecosystem has been foundational to CavilinQ,” said Shankar Menon, PhD ’25, CEO of CavilinQ. “Our core technology builds directly on research developed in UChicago and Harvard, particularly around scalable atom–photon interfaces.”
The company’s approach leverages high-fidelity light-matter interfaces, a field pioneered by its scientific cofounders Hannes Bernien, then an assistant professor of molecular engineering at UChicago, and Mikhail Lukin from Harvard University.
“Beyond the science, the ecosystem has provided early validation of the market through the I-Corps program, and continued to support CavilinQ through the Polsky Commercialization Fellowship. That combination of technical depth and openness to collaboration has helped us move from research to a company with a clear product direction,” Menon added.
While participating in the Polsky Center’s I-Corps program, Menon connected with an undergrad and a Chicago Booth student through the Polsky Center’s team-building tool. The I-Corps program – designed to empower researchers to test the commercial potential and impact of their ideas – helped narrow in on the value propositions, which he continued to pursue as a Polsky Commercialization Fellow. During this time, he also pitched at the Collaboratorium. These experiences culminated last year at the George Shultz Innovation Fund finals with a pitch that won the startup $150,000 in funding.
Moving forward, the company is focused in the near term on building a strong team and demonstrating key capabilities that enable modular quantum computing.
“Alongside this, we’re building early partnerships with quantum computing companies and academic groups to ensure our technology integrates seamlessly with existing platforms. We’re also scaling our technology toward more repeatable, foundry-style processes,” said Menon.
Over the next five years, the goal is to establish CavilinQ as the default interconnect layer for quantum computing. This means moving from early prototypes to deployed interconnect modules that link multiple quantum processors together.
“We aim to enable the first generation of modular quantum systems where independent processors operate as a single machine,” Menon added. “Ultimately, we want to help unlock the transition from today’s experimental systems to utility-scale quantum computing.”
// Applications for the next cohort of Polsky Commercialization Fellows are due Tuesday, May 26. To learn more about the program and other opportunities available for PhD students and postdocs, attend an upcoming info session.
Questions? Contact Crystal Camargo, Assistant Director, Science Programs