Swiss HQ QAI Ventures aims to partner with India’s quantum AI startups
QAI Ventures, a specialist VC firm focused on backing startups in the quantum AI space, is looking to deepen its presence in the Indian market through partnerships with key stakeholders across the ecosystem.
QAI Ventures, the Switzerland-headquartered global early-stage venture capital firm with focus on quantum computing startups, is actively looking at having its presence in India as it believes the country has deep untapped potential in this segment.
Founded in 2023, QAI Ventures has established a presence across Europe, North America, and Asia, with investments in deeptech startups focused on quantum AI computing and its applications across multiple sectors.
The firm is now actively exploring entry into the Indian market, citing the presence of key enablers needed to build a thriving ecosystem for quantum computing and AI startups.
In an interaction with YourStory, QAI Ventures Founder & CEO Alexandra Beckstein said the strongest USP of India is the availability of talent in the field of quantum computing and coupled with this the government’s National Quantum Mission with an investment outlay of Rs 6,000 crore.
For QAI Ventures, it is always about having the ecosystem with all the stakeholders involved, i.e., quantum startups, academic institutes, government, and very importantly enterprises who are invested in this high end technology.
“We see India as a world-class talent pool for software. I think this is also how India is going to thrive as a software player,” said Beckstein.
QAI Ventures believes it has much to offer to the quantum AI startups in India as it not only provides the necessary capital but also assists in building out the teams. Besides, it provides access to customers through its global network, developing pilots, partnerships with corporates etc.
“We reduce a startup’s time towards a minimal viable product and this also reduces the time taken for the first revenues,” Beckstein said, adding, “We are not a normal venture capital fund but an ecosystem builder.”
However, the founder of QAI Ventures believes to achieve all this the quantum AI startups also require that anchor in the form of corporates who are invested in this technology which would allow them to get access to markets and customers.
QAI Ventures is already engaged with a few leading academic institutes in the country as Beckstein said, “We are looking for startups that come out of these research institutes that build not just for India but also for a global market.”
QAI Ventures founder believes it is just a matter of time before they enter India and plans to have a set up that is correct strategically with high quality. This VC firm has the expertise to assist these startups from the pre-seed stage going all the way up to growth funding.
“We can play a role in co-developing the market alongside technology and build a deeptech startup that is rooted in India but with a global ambition,” Beckstein said.