Technical Co-Founder (Quantum Technologies)

Below is a draft suited for a specialized quantum technology job board (for example, boards associated with Quantum Economic Development Consortium, IEEE Quantum Initiative, or university quantum centers). It is written to attract technically ambitious candidates who may be currently in academia, national labs, or advanced R&D roles and are open to an entrepreneurial path.

Technical Co-Founder (Quantum Technologies)

Founding Technical Lead | Quantum Computing, Networking & Sensing Venture Formation

Location: United States preferred (strong preference for proximity to major quantum ecosystems)

Examples: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, University of Maryland, Yale University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, University of Colorado Boulder, or similar quantum hubs.

Compensation: Founder equity; no salary initially

Commitment: TBD, part-time likely initially, scaling toward full-time as milestones are achieved

About the Opportunity

We are forming a new venture focused on identifying, evaluating, and commercializing breakthrough quantum technologies emerging from universities, national laboratories, and advanced research institutions, preferably from the U.S., but also potentially from quantum centers outside of the U.S.

Rather than beginning with a predetermined technical architecture or product, the company will take a technology-first venture creation approach:

• Systematically source promising quantum technologies

• Conduct rigorous technical and commercial diligence

• Select one or more technologies with strong commercialization potential

• Build the company around those selected assets through licensing, sponsored research, joint development, grant funding, and venture-backed commercialization

This is an opportunity to help define the technological foundation of a company from inception and shape its technical direction at the earliest possible stage.

The business founder (not this co-founder) will lead company formation, strategy, business development, partnerships, operations, finance, fundraising and organizational buildout. The Technical Co-Founder will own technical diligence, technology selection, eventual technical leadership and partner with the founder on product strategy.

The Role

We are seeking a deeply technical quantum scientist or engineer to serve as Technical Co-Founder / Founding CTO.

The ideal candidate will have the technical judgment to evaluate quantum opportunities across a broad section of the technology stack, including quantum computing, sensing, networking, enabling hardware, and supporting software.

This role is less about immediately building a specific product and more about answering fundamental venture-defining questions:

• Which quantum technologies have the highest probability path to practical commercialization?

• Which have defensible technical differentiation?

• Which can achieve meaningful milestones with funding from grants, partnerships, and early capital-efficient development, i.e. are financeable?

• Which technologies are positioned to create real commercial value over the next 3–7 years?

Core Responsibilities

Technology Landscape Assessment

• Evaluate emerging quantum technologies in one or more of:

• Qubit modalities (superconducting, trapped ion, neutral atom, photonic, spin-based, topological, etc.)

• Quantum networking and communication architectures

• Quantum sensing technologies

• Cryogenic and control hardware

• Fabrication and integration methods

• Middleware, software, and systems architecture

Technical Diligence

• Assess technical readiness, scalability, manufacturability, and commercialization pathways

• Evaluate IP position, institutional licensing feasibility, and technical defensibility

• Identify practical development milestones and technical de-risking pathways

Opportunity Selection

• Help prioritize commercialization candidates

• Define technical criteria for venture formation decisions

• Translate technical opportunities into realistic product and roadmap strategies

External Relationship Development

• Build relationships with:

• University principal investigators

• National lab researchers

• Technology transfer offices

• Government program managers

• Strategic technical partners

Funding & Proposal Support

• Contribute technical leadership for:

• Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer submissions

• Department of Energy proposals

• National Science Foundation opportunities

• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency / AFWERX / other federal opportunities

• Joint development and strategic research agreements

Founding Technical Leadership

Once a commercialization path is selected, transition into technical leadership of product and engineering execution.

Desired Background

We are intentionally open to multiple technical profiles.

Strong candidates may include:

• Quantum physicists

• Quantum engineers

• Photonics engineers

• Quantum networking researchers

• Quantum software architects

• Error correction specialists

• Cryogenic systems engineers

• Experimental physicists with commercialization interest

Strongly Preferred Qualifications

Breadth across quantum technologies, including the ability to evaluate multiple modalities and architectures

OR

Deep expertise in one domain with strong awareness of adjacent commercialization opportunities

Examples of valuable expertise:

• Quantum error correction / fault tolerance

• Photonic quantum systems

• Quantum networking protocols

• Control systems

• Device fabrication

• Integrated photonics

• Quantum compiler / middleware architectures

• Systems integration

Additional advantages:

• Existing relationships across the quantum ecosystem

• Experience working at or collaborating with leading research institutions

• Familiarity with technology transfer and licensing

• Experience preparing technical grant proposals

• Awareness of commercialization pathways for frontier technologies

What This Is and Is Not

This is a true co-founder opportunity involving:

• Significant ambiguity

• Technology exploration before product definition

• Capital-efficient venture formation

• Shared conviction-building around technical direction

This is not a conventional salaried CTO role joining an already-defined startup.

Compensation & Timing

This is an equity-first founding role.

Important to understand:

• Salary is unlikely during the initial venture formation phase

• Compensation would likely begin following:

• Grant award

• Strategic development agreement

• Prize/non-dilutive funding

• Pre-seed financing

Expected timeline: 12–24 months

This role is best suited for someone who:

• Has flexibility through academic, lab, consulting, or transitional employment

• Can initially contribute part-time or is not constrained by immediate financial considerations

• Is motivated by long-term upside and company-building

• Has an urge to create something meaningful from inception

• Has endurance

Ideal Candidate Mindset

You are:

• Technically rigorous

• Commercially curious

• Comfortable operating with uncertainty

• Interested in building rather than only researching

• Excited by evaluating frontier technologies at the point where science becomes business

You see quantum not simply as an academic field, but as an emerging industrial platform.

To Apply

Please share:

• Your current CV / resume

• A brief statement of interest

• A summarized overview of your technical background and areas of expertise

• Your exposure to commercialization, technology transfer, or applied research

• Your geographic location

• Your availability over the next 12–24 months

• Why the venture-formation model described here is compelling to you

Founding Note:

This venture is being built with the belief that the next generation of impactful quantum companies will emerge not only from a single breakthrough, but from disciplined technical selection, commercialization rigor, and exceptional founder alignment. We are seeking a technical partner to help identify and build that future.

All submitted information will be held with strict confidentiality and destroy after its use in this search.