Quandela | 4-minute read
Romain Proglio
Partner, Accuracy
On 21 January 2021, whilst visiting the Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies (C2N-CNRS) on the Plateau de Saclay (the European Silicon Valley), President Emmanuel Macron unveiled his ambitious Quantum Plan. The aim of this plan, which relies on France’s excellent research credentials, is to close the country’s gap in terms of investment.
It must therefore promote work and research on computers, sensors, calculators and even cryptography. In total, almost 1.8 billion euros will be dedicated to this five-year plan.
The plan ‘is a plan for the whole ecosystem’, the French president also announced, proof that technologies will emerge on the market in particular through certain start-ups in the quantum technology sphere.
One of the most promising, Quandela, is one of the first companies in the world to commercialise photonic qubit emitters in the form of single photons. This first technological building block is essential for the creation of future quantum calculators.
Created in 2017 by Pascale Senellart (CNRS research director), Valérian Giesz and Niccolo Somaschi, Quandela is a spin-off of the C2N-CNRS. The team’s objective, based on this light pulse technology, is to improve the calculating speed of research computers and ultimately to build the first quantum computers.
The possibilities offered by such a development are immeasurable, from the potential discovery of new medication thanks to simulations of molecular interactions to applications in aeronautics or banking by enabling virtually infinite data and risk analysis.
Quandela is at the heart of the quantum revolution and is approaching the next step in its growth thanks to fundraising realised in July 2020 with Quantonation (the first venture capital fund dedicated to quantum technologies and innovative physics) and Bpifrance (via the French Tech Seed fund). This fundraising will in particular make it possible to accelerate the commercial deployment of the next generation of products.
Quandela has been supported for some months by La Place Stratégique – an organisation sponsored by the French state (Ministère des Armées, Direction générale de l’armement, Agence de l’innovation de défense, Gendarmerie Nationale), large corporates (Thales, Arquus) and the firms Accuracy and Jeantet – avocats – whose role is to assist the young companies that will count in tomorrow’s world.