Complete systems
At present, Single Quantum is the only company in the world that can produce both single-photon sources and detectors. ‘We will focus on clients to whom we can sell complete systems, which could for example be used to do quantum cryptography experiments. The jury for the Valorisation Grant has advised us not to be too modest in this regard. The scientific market is not large, but beyond that, we see big possibilities for our technology, especially within future forms of communication that use light instead of electronics. We are the first in the world to seriously try to turn this into a commercial success.’
Quick sales
‘It is unusual that a company with such a fundamental technology starts off with practical applications and clients,’ says Valorisation Grant jury member Willem van den Berg from Value Creation Capital. The technology has several unique selling points as a result of which the jury sees a lot of potential, he says. ‘There are applications for which the products of competitors are simply not sensitive enough. Single Quantum’s technology could be used to detect errors in integrated circuits (ICs). That is of major value to computer chip manufacturers.’ Van den Berg also sees sufficient market potential for the sources. ‘You could use these for quantum cryptography and quantum communication.’
Important phase
The company is now in an important phase, explains the jury member. ‘Many companies that are set up from within science are very content driven. That is good, as this is how this company has gained its first clients, for example. But the trick is to scale up on time. Production and assembly will not be a problem. But how do you establish a commercial basis for something like this? You need a different type of expertise for that. And then it comes down to sales, sales and more sales. It will be interesting to see how Single Quantum develops further.’
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