RQT Ventures: Empowering Quantum, AI, and Cybersecurity Innovation

RQT Ventures stands as a pivotal business catalyst, dedicated to advancing quantum technology development and adoption both regionally and nationally. Grounded within a golden triangle of deep tech, university research and proactive policy making, at its core, our vc fund bridges the gap between academia and industry, fostering an environment ripe for much needed innovation and economic growth.

RQT Ventures is a spin-out from the Stanford Quantum Incubator (SQI), part of the legedary Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology (RQT) founded by Mauritz Kop. The SQI Project was launched together with Greg Berkin, Bradley Horowitz and David Hornik in 2024. Building on the success of the inaugural SQI Networking Event held at Stanford University on November 1th 2024 - as a logical next step - we decided to spin SQI out to a vc fund named RQT Ventures.

Operating from the center of the emerging quantum startup scene, our vc fund helps galvanize and attract startups and university spin-offs in the quantum/AI and cybersecurity space, as part of the investment community (VCs, angels, incubators, accelerators, banks, funds) and other stakeholders who are part of the ecosystem (hardware/chip manufacturers, cloud, software, networks). Our limited partners (LPs) take on a portfolio approach that aims to optimize maximizing upside, supporting ethical investments to foster positive outcomes for humanity. We invest in uniquely qualified quantum/AI startups that resonate with the mission and thesis of our fund.

We start RQT Ventures at a time when groundbreaking innovations in second generation quantum technologies, accelerated by AI, are making their way from the lab into the markets. These innovations include advanced software and hardware structures in quantum computing, cryptography, sensing, simulation, networking, and communication, and are applied in sectors such as Life Sciences and Healthcare, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Logistics, Automotive, Defense, and Space.

In the wake of the 2022 Biden Executive Orders on Quantum, the Chips and Science Act, and the 2023 Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, the imperative to cultivate a competitive quantum ecosystem has never been more pronounced. These government directives are not only accelerating investment in quantum information science (QIS) but are also catalyzing a host of new opportunities for public-private collaboration in the United States. The quantum community should capitalize on the momentum.

Building on decades of entrepreneurial experience, RQT Ventures plans to develop a comprehensive suite of mentorship and support services designed to propel startups and scale-ups to success. From guidance on sustainable business models, best practices, legal compliance, certification, performance benchmarks & metrics, and standardization, training in product development and sales, to networking, brand development, contracting, intellectual property (IP) portfolio optimization and technology transfer, the incubator addresses the multifaceted needs of businesses navigating the quantum space. This includes tackling legal, ethical, societal, and policy challenges inherent in developing quantum hardware and software, as well as quantum-classical hybrids like quantum and classical computers working together, and quantum artificial intelligence (QAI).

Central to the RQT Ventures mission is its commitment to collaboration. Operating within a quadruple helix model that includes academics, industry professionals, policymakers, and end-users, our venture capital fund intends to become the epicentre of forward-looking, exponential quantum innovation within the emerging quantum startup scene. To this end, we host a recurring networking workshop, in partnership with respected VC tech incubators and their networks, to both operationalize the Responsible Quantum Technology (RQT) framework and foster a globally leading, values-based quantum ecosystem.

Our recurring Roundtables aim to establish a local, values-based quantum network that aligns with the RQT framework, positioning the Bay Area at the heart of quantum advancement. These events are exclusive gatherings, featuring presentations from luminaries in the field, startup pitches, venture capitalists, banks, and ample opportunities for networking. By encouraging investment, funding and deal flow/pitching, this organized process will amplify responsible quantum technology development and foster an extended network of quantum competency, with a clear goal of producing multiple quantum unicorns by 2030.

Art inspires science to discover things one is not looking for by chance. RQT Ventures connects entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and developers to paradigms in art beyond research silos to create synergetic insights, guided by a framework for Responsible Quantum Technology. This framework is designed to ensure that research and innovation efforts meet societal expectations and demands and enhance planetary welfare.

As we stand on the cusp of the Quantum Age, RQT Ventures invites the broader Silicon Valley innovation cluster to join in this pioneering, interdisciplinary endeavour. A quality labelled ‘Quantum Made in US’ paradigm can help facilitate a regional innovation optimum. With AI & quantum talent, agenda and capacity, and a culture of boundless possibility, RQT Ventures will help American companies becoming leaders in making scalable quantum applications that create actual business value and benefit society and our planet. By facilitating university-market collaboration to promote the development and uptake of systems, platforms, products and infused by the extravagant suite of quantum technologies, RQT Ventures is poised to be an effective catalyst for leadership in this space, determined to lead American companies to the forefront of the imminent quantum revolution.

For those eager to contribute to and participate in this exciting venture, we encourage you to reach out to RQT Ventures’ Founding Partner, Greg Berkin, for more information. Together, we can unlock the boundless potential of quantum technology and AI, creating a future that benefits society at large.

Publications

Our partners frequently publish about responsible quantum/AI ecosystems in major outlets like Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Science, Nature, Foreign Policy, and Fortune. The paradigms created through this work are actively applied in industry and society by RQT Ventures.

Stanford: https://law.stanford.edu/publications/how-quantum-technologies-may-be-integrated-into-healthcare-what-regulators-should-consider/

Harvard: https://jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/the-right-to-process-data-for-machine-learning-purposes-in-the-eu

Yale: https://yjolt.org/blog/establishing-legal-ethical-framework-quantum-technology

Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-024-02462-8

IOP Science: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2058-9565/ad3776

Berkeley: https://btlj.org/2022/02/quantum-computing-and-intellectual-property-law/

University of California: https://repository.uclawsf.edu/hastings_science_technology_law_journal/vol15/iss1/4/

Oxford University Press: https://academic.oup.com/jiplp/article/17/8/613/6646536

European Commission: https://futurium.ec.europa.eu/en/european-ai-alliance/best-practices/quantum-technology-impact-assessment

Fortune: https://fortune.com/2023/05/16/how-to-prevent-quantum-ai-hybrids-taking-over-world-tech-kop-wadhwa/