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32 n e w h a v e n B I Z | S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m and testing facility at 25 Science Park in New Haven. Today, its team has grown to about two dozen, including scientists, pro- grammers and engineers, and they expect continued growth. "We want New Haven to be known as the birthplace of quan- tum computing," Schoelkopf says. Yale scientists made the first quantum computer a decade ago, and in the years since have discov- ered better ways of building more practical and useful versions, according to Schoelkopf. "It is time to translate this into a real tool for the rest of the world," Schoelkopf explains. "Our goal is to move from prototypes to more useful quantum computers." In early 2018 Schoelkopf, who is now the company's chief scien- tific officer, took a one-year leave of absence from Yale to build Quantum Circuits' team. Schoe- lkopf has always been a scientist, not a businessperson, and when he made the leap to starting a company, he knew he needed help. e founders enlisted Martin Mengwall, who now serves as the company's president and chief executive officer. Mengwall not only has a degree in physics, but he has the benefit of 20 years of business experience — key to managing daily company operations, overseeing finances and explaining Quantum Circuits' goals to potential investors. "It was a big leap to start a com- pany because I've been a professor all of my adult life," Schoelkopf acknowledges. "I saw others who had done the same thing and talk- ed to them, and they said it was hard, but possible. I've had a lot of scientific mentors who helped guide me to where I am today." S choelkopf is passionate about making discoveries — or, as he describes it, "being able to see something no one else has." "I always wanted to be a scientist — I love it," Schoelkopf says. "e goal is to create knowl- edge that is useful for the human race." In the new and unprecedented circumstances in which he now finds himself, Schoelkopf decid- ed he didn't want to be involved solely in the science — he wanted to be directly involved in creating real-world applications. "It is not enough to throw your ideas out there — there is a job to get it enacted and see it through to the end," Schoelkopf says. While other companies are also pursuing quantum comput- ing technology based on Yale's research, Schoelkopf and his col- leagues were determined to start their own business. "We have different insights, and we want to shepherd the science to the practical domain," Schoe- lkopf explains. e intellectual and commercial horizons of quantum computing are seemingly without limits — but today the path to practical application must be navigated. "No one has a quantum com- puter yet that can do what other computers can't," Schoelkopf says. "[However] they will very rapidly surpass conventional computers." Once the company is ready, it will start with a "small space of users." Schoelkopf foresees offering quantum computing over the web, so if a user has a question or problem, they'll be able to use the Internet and get answers with a quantum computer hosted at Quantum Circuits' lab. "ese are not something we see replacing the laptop or the cellphone," Schoelkopf explains. "e power is in the data-process- ing tasks." While finding a solution may be like looking for a needle in a haystack in science, the quantum computer will be able to find answers quickly, he explains. Schoelkopf foresees the technology having applications for cybersecurity, pharmaceuticals and chemistry, such as devising new technologies to safeguard computer systems, as well as designing new drugs, chemicals and materials. Quantum computers are also expected to be particularly useful for machine learning, energy, logistics, weather prediction, nav- igation and financial technology. is technology may be better able to explore the potential efficacy and side effects of a new drug, or find a way to sequester greenhouse gases from the environment, for example. NASA already has a facility hosting a quantum computer, and this spring NASA indicated that its researchers are exploring how this technology may improve its Continued from page 30 INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP "There could be uses and applications we haven't imagined. There is a vast potential we haven't appreciated." Rob Schoelkopf Continued on page 45

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