Polarisqb Takes Second in the Quantum World Congress $25,000 Pitch Competition
This year has become a monumental year for quantum science; first with the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics being awarded for quantum entanglement, to the first-ever Quantum World Congress held in Washington D.C. The conference solidified quantum technology’s reputation as a serious industry and a growing community. With innovators, governmental figures, and researchers all together in one place, the conference helped establish further connections, as well as led to some big announcements for some companies.
For Polarisqb, one of the leaders in quantum chemistry for drug discovery, the Quantum World Congress ended in victory, as the company took second place in the $25,000 pitch competition hosted by the Conference. The competition hosted six quantum startups from across the US and Europe to vie for a $25,000 prize. Quantum companies were eligible if they focused on biotechnology, healthcare, or the life sciences. As Polarisqb has had years applying quantum to drug discovery, they made for a fearsome competitor. The three judges for the contest included Yaakov Weinstein of MITRE, Christophe Jurczak of Quantonation, and Chris Monroe of IonQ. With companies from all over the world and judges too, the contest appeared to show the international network of quantum innovators coming together to compete.
Polarisqb came in second behind qBraid, a Chicago startup creating a cloud platform for developing quantum software. Third place went to Virginia-based SylLab Systems, a company developing post quantum cryptography solutions for networks and IoT.. “I was honored to be chosen and to represent Polarisqb in the QWC pitch competition,” stated Maurice Benson, Polarisqb’s senior software engineer. “The opportunity to present our company to other quantum professionals and get their feedback will help Polarisqb start 2023 on the right foot!”
As the first Quantum World Congress drew to a successful close, many companies are already excited for hopefully next year’s event. In a world of virtual connections and hybrid or remote working, events like the Congress offer special opportunities to network and socialize on a more personal level, leading to further successful partnerships and collaborations.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is a staff writer at Inside Quantum Technology and the Science Communicator at JILA (a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST). Her writing beats include deep tech, the metaverse, and quantum technology.
