You are starting to wonder whether a spin-off could be an option. Maybe you’ve said it out loud already, maybe not.
Either way, the same question follows quickly: how do I actually find an investor? Who are they? What do they want to see? Is it too early to talk to one — and if so, what does “too early” even mean? And if you’ve already founded, the question has only changed shape: which kind of money is the right one, and who do you actually want on your cap table?
From inside a lab, investors tend to look mythical — a black box you approach once, with one shot, hopefully at the right moment, hopefully with the right deck. That framing is wrong, and it costs researchers years.
This is a small, closed round to take it apart. No presentations, no pitch slots, no feedback round. Just an honest conversation about how early-stage deep tech capital actually works, with people who do it for a living.
Who this is for
Pre-doc, PhD and PostDoc researchers, plus non-academic technical people, in quantum and quantum-enabling fields who are:
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already building a company,
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actively deciding whether to spin out, or
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still working out whether founding is something they want at all.
You do not need a company, a deck, a co-founder or a plan. Curiosity and a real question are enough.
Ground rules
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Invite only, handpicked, limited seats. Small enough that everyone speaks.
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Chatham House Rule. You are free to use what you hear; you are not free to attribute it to anyone in the room. That protects candour on all sides.
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No pitching. Nobody presents, nobody evaluates you, nobody takes notes on you. If you want a pitch setting, tell us — we’ll point you to a different format.
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English. Questions in German are welcome; we’ll bridge where needed.
Good to know
10 seats. Drinks and informal conversation afterwards. Request a seat below — we look at every registration personally and get back to you within 48 hours.
Qubit Founders — coordinated by weXelerate.
Registration: here