Quantum Companies

Nathan Arnold, CEO

         

 

 

Cohort 2025

Nathan Arnold is the co-founder and CEO of Photon Queue, an Illinois-based quantum hardware company specializing in free-space quantum memory technologies. Arnold, who holds a Ph.D. the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has experimental expertise in quantum optical systems. He honed diverse skills through more than 5 years of work at Sandia National Laboratories. Having spent his graduate studies developing Photon Queue’s core technology, Arnold is the foremost expert on this technology and leads the company’s efforts in design, applications, and commercialization. Beyond his technical contributions, he is committed to advancing quantum technologies for societal benefit while balancing a fulfilling family life.

Photon Queue Project Info

 

Brandon Grinkemeyer, CTO

     

 

 

Cohort 2025

Brandon Grinkemeyer earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University, where his research with the Lukin group focused on developing photonic interfaces for neutral atom quantum systems. Grinkemeyer’s work has led to significant contributions in atomic physics, quantum optics, and quantum information, including a recently submitted paper demonstrating a photonic interface for neutral atoms and collaborations on state-of-the-art methods for fabricating high-finesse optical cavities with the Loncar and Yang labs. He has also co-authored a proposal for modular quantum computing with the Vuletic group. Grinkemeyer is passionate about advancing quantum technologies and fostering collaborations that bridge fundamental science with practical innovations.

CavilinQ Project Info

Berk Diler Kovos

Cohort 2024

Berk Diler Kovos received his Ph.D. in Quantum Science and Engineering—one of the first in the nation—from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering. During his tenure, Kovos worked on transition metals as optically addressable qubits in the Awschalom Lab and later worked on commercializing this technology. To that end, Kovos formed SynthBits, recruited team members, and led them through I-Corps and Compass accelerator programs. Kovos was previously employed by Quantum Machines, one of the fastest-growing quantum startups as a solutions engineer, to lead technical sales operations all across the quantum ecosystem.

Synthbits Project Info

 

Manish Kumar Singh, CEO

Cohort 2022

Singh earned a Ph.D. in quantum engineering at the University of Chicago. He completed his undergrad at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, majoring in chemical engineering. Before starting his Ph.D., he worked at TSMC R&D– working first on the development of 16nm process technology and then on the development and integration of resistive memory (RRAM) into the transistor backend. He’s used opportunities at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business to develop entrepreneurial acumen, working as a venture fellow in the ‘Lab to Launch’ course.

memQ Project Info

Sean Sullivan, CTO

Cohort 2022

Sean Sullivan pursued his undergraduate and master’s degrees in Materials Engineering at Purdue University. During a stint working at Toyota R&D, he gained an appreciation for the role cutting-edge materials physics could play in sustainable energy. He then joined the Quantum Materials for Sustainable Technologies group at UT Austin, where he performed his doctoral research on quantum transport in materials for applications in energy conversion and quantum information. As a postdoctoral appointee at Argonne, his research focused on new materials and devices for quantum technologies, and he built out Chicago’s metropolitan-scale quantum communication testbed.

memQ Project Info

Pranav Gokhale, CTO

Cohort 2020

Pranav Gokhale received his doctorate in quantum computer architecture at the University of Chicago. He developed Super.tech as an extension of the research project EPiQC: Enabling Practical-Scale Quantum Computation, which is the flagship quantum computer science project of the National Science Foundation. His goal is to help bridge the gap between existing theoretical algorithms and practical quantum computing architectures. Note: Super.tech was acquired by Infleqtion in 2022.

Super.tech Project Info