We're expanding our team... and our vision

It’s an exciting time to be involved with quantum technologies. High-impact use cases are being identified across computing, communications and sensing, and company roadmaps point to clear paths towards them and real commercial opportunities along the way.

We founded QDNL Participations with a vision to accelerate the thriving Dutch quantum technology ecosystem. And with nine investments already made into many of the Netherlands’ most high-potential quantum startups, from our €15 million fund, we’re already doing that. 

But we’ve always had ambitions to expand beyond the Netherlands, as quantum is a global space, and new technology leaders might appear from anywhere in the world 

At QDNL Participations, we believe now is the optimal window for early stage quantum investments, with maturing technology and markets combining with significant non-dilutive capital tailwinds to create ideal conditions for new and early stage ventures. Our goal is to help identify and build the next wave of global leaders in quantum technology, and become the best performing quantum-specific venture firm. 

As we move towards that goal and raise our second fund, we’re putting the team in place to help identify and work with the best early-stage quantum technology startups around the world.

Welcome Dr. Kris Kaczmarek

Our new Investment Director, Dr. Kris Kaczmarek previously spearheaded quantum investment activities at the London-based venture fund 2xN, co-founded by early backer and former chairman of Cambridge Quantum Computing (now Quantinuum, the largest pure-play quantum company in the world), Niels Nielsen. 

There he backed a number of notable quantum startups, including Sparrow Quantum and QSimulate, as well as served on the board of Kvantify. Prior to moving into venture, Kris was Head of Product for ORCA Computing, the full-stack photonic quantum computing company spun-out of his PhD research at the University of Oxford.

Based in London, UK, he will expand our capacity to access the best quantum tech startups across Europe and the US. 

He joins Chad Rigetti, founder of Rigetti Computing, who joined QDNL Participations as a Venture Partner in summer 2023, giving us a notable foothold in Silicon Valley.

Our new special advisors 

Joining Kris as new additions to the QDNL Participations team are two special advisors to help guide our investment activity.

Nadia Carlsten sits across two of the most promising fields in technology today: quantum tech and AI. She is CEO of the Danish Centre for AI Innovation A/S, which has been set up to own and run Denmark’s first AI supercomputer, Gefion, which will be built in partnership with NVIDIA. 

Nadia was previously VP of Product at SandboxAQ, where she was responsible for managing product development across the company’s business verticals, including quantum security, quantum sensing, AI, and simulation.

Charles Marcus has a distinguished background in the study and development of quantum technologies. Following an academic career at Stanford, Harvard and the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, he became Scientific Director of Microsoft Quantum Lab–Copenhagen in 2016.

In April 2023, Charles joined the University of Washington faculty in Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering, and in Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, as the Boeing Johnson Endowed Chair. 

What’s next

Our aim is to invest in, and help shape, category-defining quantum technology companies. Our expansion reflects our global ambition, as we build out a team with outstanding academic and entrepreneurial achievements.

And that level of expertise really is required. The quantum space is just too specialized, and the companies and market so unique, that a generalist or hands-off investment model just won’t work.

Watch this space as we continue to back the best new teams in the Netherlands… and beyond.

Full press release here.

The QDNL Participations team:

Kris Kacszmarek: Investment Director

Ton van 't Noordende: General Partner

Cheryne Jonay: Analyst

Chad Rigetti: Venture Partner 

Charles Marcus: Special Advisor

Nadia Carlsten: Special Advisor