Stanford Quantum Incubator Launched at Stanford Law School
Stanford, March 31, 2024—Today, we are thrilled to announce the launch of the Stanford Quantum Incubator (SQI)—a Silicon Valley business catalyst dedicated to advancing quantum technology development and adoption both regionally, nationally, and beyond. Situated at the prestigious Stanford Law School, the Stanford Quantum Incubator stands as a pivotal force, bridging the critical gap between academia and industry to foster an environment ripe for much-needed innovation and economic growth.
Stanford Quantum Incubator Launched at Stanford Law School, a Silicon Valley business catalyst dedicated to advancing quantum technology development and adoption both regionally, nationally, and beyond.
Stanford Quantum Incubator: Bridging Academia and Industry
Operating from the center of the emerging quantum startup scene, the Stanford Quantum Incubator will help galvanize and attract startups and university spin-offs in the quantum and AI space. It will also serve as a nexus for the broader investment community—including venture capitalists, angel investors, accelerators, banks, and funds—and other essential stakeholders, from hardware manufacturers to cloud and software providers.
The launch of SQI comes at a pivotal moment for the United States. 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 and responsible quantum ecosystem has never been more pronounced. These government directives are accelerating investment in quantum information science (QIS) and catalyzing a host of new opportunities for public-private collaboration. It is essential that the quantum community capitalizes on this momentum.
We start the Stanford Quantum Incubator at a time when groundbreaking innovations in second-generation quantum technologies are making their way from the lab into the markets. These advancements span quantum computing, cryptography, sensing, simulation, and networking, with transformative applications in sectors such as Life Sciences and Healthcare, Finance, Cybersecurity, Manufacturing, Logistics, Automotive, Defense, and Space.
Inaugural Stanford SQI Fellows Bring a Wealth of Venture Capital Expertise
The success of this ambitious endeavor is anchored by the wisdom and experience of its leadership and advisors. The Stanford Quantum Incubator is honored to introduce its inaugural Fellows, a group of distinguished leaders from the worlds of venture capital, technology, and cybersecurity.
Greg Berkin, MBA, serves as a Senior Cybersecurity Advisor to FTI Consulting and is a Fellow at the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology. Mr. Berkin brings decades of deep technical expertise as a computer scientist, hardware engineer, and security expert. At FTI, he applies intelligence-driven approaches to complex challenges ranging from network intrusions and ransomware to cryptocurrency scams and sensitive data vulnerabilities. In 2010, he founded Concours Ventures, a boutique angel capital group focused on accelerating startups in deep tech, including quantum computing, AI, and data encryption. His extensive experience includes advising ventures from Stanford, Berkeley, and Duke accelerators and nearly a decade as a senior executive at Intel Corporation, where he was an Intel Achievement Award winner, the company’s highest honor.
David Hornik, JD, is a Founding Partner at Lobby Capital, a prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm, and a Fellow at the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology. For over 25 years, Mr. Hornik has been instrumental in helping entrepreneurs build transformative businesses, previously as a general partner at August Capital. His investment portfolio includes iconic software companies like Splunk, Fastly, GitLab, and Bill.com. A dedicated community-builder, he started the first venture capital blog and podcast, served as the Tech Curator for the TED Conference, and founded the influential Lobby Conferences. With degrees from Stanford, Cambridge, and Harvard Law School, he is also a lecturer at Stanford’s Business and Law Schools and Harvard Law School.
Bradley Horowitz, MS, is an entrepreneur, investor, and a Founding Partner of Wisdom Ventures, a seed fund investing in startups that promote human connection and wellbeing. He also serves as a Fellow at the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology. Mr. Horowitz was a Vice President of Product Management at Google, where he led the development of globally recognized consumer products including Google Photos, Gmail, and Google Drive. He also spearheaded Google for Startups and co-founded Area 120, Google’s internal incubator. Before Google, he was Yahoo's Vice President of Advanced Development, driving key acquisitions like Flickr. A Ph.D. candidate at the MIT Media Lab in computer vision and graphics, he holds numerous patents and has co-founded and served as CTO of the publicly traded company Virage.
Mauritz Kop is the Founding Director of the Stanford Quantum Incubator. Mauritz is an entrepreneur, investor, tech lawyer, policy advisor, and academic. In addition to his role as Executive Director of the Stanford Center for RQT, he is Director at AIRecht, Founder of MusicaJuridica, and General Counsel at Daiki, a Vienna and Palo Alto headquartered unified SaaS platform committed to building a Trustworthy AI future. Mauritz’ interdisciplinary academic work on regulating AI, machine learning training data, intellectual property, and the suite of quantum technologies has been published by Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Oxford, Cambridge, UCLA, Max Planck, Springer Nature, Institute of Physics, Frontiers in Science, Foreign Policy, Fortune, Science, and Nature Physics scholarly and peer reviewed journals. He contributes to the emergent lex specialis for Quantum Information Science (QIS) by designing sui generis governance frameworks that offer strategic blueprints for decision-makers across market sectors, integrating risk management, resource optimization, regulatory compliance best practices, performance metrics, and safety standards.
A Catalyst for Responsible Quantum Innovation
Building on decades of combined entrepreneurial experience, SQI will develop a comprehensive suite of student/founder mentorship and support services designed to propel startups and scale-ups to success. Guidance will span sustainable business models, legal compliance, performance benchmarking, intellectual property portfolio optimization, and technology transfer. The incubator will directly address the multifaceted ethical, legal, societal, and policy (Quantum-ELSPI) challenges inherent in developing quantum hardware, software, and quantum-classical hybrids.
Central to SQI’s mission is a profound commitment to collaboration. Operating within a quadruple helix model that unites academics, industry professionals, policymakers, and end-users, SQI is positioned to become the epicenter of forward-looking, exponential quantum innovation. To this end, plans are underway to host a recurring networking workshop, in partnership with respected VC tech incubators, to both operationalize the Responsible Quantum Technology (RQT) framework and foster a globally leading, values-based quantum ecosystem.
SQI Networking Event at Stanford Law
The inaugural SQI Networking Event at Stanford Law School is set for November 1, 2024. This workshop aims to establish a local, values-based quantum network that aligns with the RQT framework, positioning the Bay Area at the heart of quantum advancement. The event promises to be an exclusive gathering, featuring presentations from luminaries in the field, startup pitches, and ample opportunities for networking. By encouraging investment and deal flow, this process will amplify responsible quantum technology development, with a clear goal of producing multiple quantum unicorns by 2030.
As we stand on the cusp of the Quantum Age, the Stanford Quantum Incubator invites the broader Silicon Valley innovation cluster to join in this pioneering, interdisciplinary endeavor. A quality-labeled ‘Quantum Made in US’ paradigm, infused with AI and quantum talent and a culture of boundless possibility, can help American companies become leaders in making scalable quantum applications that create real business value and benefit society. By facilitating university-market collaboration, SQI is poised to be an effective catalyst for leadership in the imminent quantum revolution.
For those eager to contribute to and participate in this exciting venture, we encourage you to reach out to Mauritz Kop, Founding Director of the Stanford Center for RQT, for more information. Together, we can unlock the boundless potential of quantum technology and AI, creating a future that benefits us all.