From quantum research to quantum company — with direct access to customers and capital.
Are you building a quantum startup — or thinking about becoming a founder in quantum?
The ecosystem that turns quantum research into quantum companies is only just forming — early enough that you can help shape it, not just join it later. Whether you've already decided to found a company or you're still weighing it, Qubit Founders is the community behind that leap.
The leap from research to company is a different game.
Austrian and European quantum research is world-class, and universities are pushing spin-off strategy harder than ever. But building a company runs on entirely different dynamics — customers, capital, commercial timelines — and that leap can still feel like uncharted territory. The Qubit Founders community closes exactly that gap, alongside the research you're already doing.
Direct access to customers and capital.
Qubit Founders is a community and a set of first formats connecting quantum research with industry — built together with the ecosystem. The promise: the fastest path from a research finding to a product society actually benefits from. Along the way, it strengthens the local European quantum ecosystem, helps secure skilled jobs, and positions Austria and Europe as a pioneer — not a follower.
You don't have to build this network alone.
weXelerate's vision is to lead Austria's most impactful innovation ecosystem — nearly a decade spent building real, working relationships across investors, corporates, founders, academia, and public institutions. As part of Qubit Founders, you draw on that network directly: warm introductions to investors who believe in quantum's potential, or to corporates bringing real industry problems and the future revenue every spin-off needs to succeed — real relationships and partnerships, not a solo grind. One concrete example: 40+ Austrian corporates are already active through the Quantum Reality Check, an FFG initiative run in cooperation with weXelerate.
Investors
Corporates
Academia & Entrepreneurship Teams
Public Organizations
Here's the kind of thing you can expect.
First formats launching fall 2026 — this is a taste, not a fixed calendar. Haven't decided to found a company yet? That's exactly who this is for — a first look at what it's actually like, so you know what you're getting into before you have to decide anything.
Fireside chats with investors
Understand what a real investor actually looks for, before you're anywhere near pitching.
Corporate exchange formats
Real industry problems, straight from the companies that have them.
Peer sparring on IP & spin-off questions
Insights from founders who've walked the same path — what's coming, and the pitfalls to avoid.
Co-founder & team matching
Find the co-founder you're missing — often from business, not research — and the sales or marketing partner you'll need but don't want to be yourself.
Office space & whiteboards
Sick of hashing out plans in a café or a university lecture hall? We've got real workspace for that.
The people it takes to build a quantum company.
Pre- and postdocs across the quantum ecosystem
Computing, communication & cryptography, sensing & metrology, photonics & quantum optics, or the materials and engineering behind it all — wherever your research sits in the value chain. Primarily Austrian universities, open to Europe too. Formats run partly in person in Vienna, partly online.
- → Physics, photonics & quantum engineering — e.g. quantum optics, quantum information, condensed matter, applied photonics
- → Computer science & mathematics — quantum algorithms, error correction, simulation, quantum software
- → Non-academic researchers too — R&D scientists and engineers at applied research institutes or industry labs, not just university-affiliated
Quantum spin-offs need more than researchers.
Marketing, sales, and business expertise are often exactly what's missing on a quantum founding team. If that's you — or you've already got founding intent and need a scientific co-founder — this is the place to say so.
- → Business & economics students and graduates who want to build a company, not just study one
- → Marketing & sales professionals — deep tech needs people who can sell to enterprise customers, not just build the technology
- → Former corporate managers moving into entrepreneurship, who know how to run a team, a budget, and a P&L
A few of the people behind it.
Qubit Founders runs on people — not LOIs, documents, or charters. People who believe in quantum's potential and are driven to build a strong ecosystem around it, working together to push the founder side forward — Qubit Founders is where they plug in.
What's Happening
Don't see a date that works yet? Join the list so you don't miss what's next.
Two ways in.
Depends where you're at — just want to follow along, or ready to be considered for a format.
Stay in the loop
No commitment — just hear about new formats and events as they launch.
Get on the guest list
For formats where we curate the mix of participants, a short video questionnaire helps us get to know you and make sure the right people end up in the room — a few quick questions, answered on camera.
Start the questionnaireNot building a quantum startup yourself?
You're a corporate
Looking for how your company can engage with quantum? That's the Quantum Reality Check.
Visit the Quantum Reality CheckYou're an investor or ecosystem stakeholder
Qubit Founders is designed for founders and future founders — but you're welcome to sign up for news above, or reach out directly if you're proposing a partnership.
Get in touch