Not yet announced · Not yet announced
Duality is the first U.S. accelerator exclusively focused on early-stage quantum and quantum-enabling technology startups. Founded in 2021, it’s led by the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Chicago Quantum Exchange, with founding partners the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne National Laboratory, and P33. Based in Chicago and run through the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Duality runs a 9-month program that gives every company a $50,000 SAFE, 80% discount, $10 million cap, business and IP training, mentorship from 55+ experts, and access to state-of-the-art quantum facilities. As of 2025, Duality’s cohort recruiting has merged with Alchemist Accelerator’s Alchemist Chicago program, and Duality also partners with IBM for computing time and select startup funding. Startups must be an established US entity with at least one founder based in Chicago during the program, though the company itself can be based anywhere. Since 2021, roughly 30 startups across five cohorts have gone through Duality, including Super.tech, acquired by Infleqtion in 2022, and Photon Queue, which raised a $4 million seed round in 2026.
Frequency
1x/year
Duration
9 months
Investment
$50,000 via SAFE, 80% discount, $10 million cap
Equity
Undisclosed — depends on future round pricing
Program fees
Undisclosed
Where
USA
Sectors
Quantum
Stages
Pre-Seed, Seed
Eligibility
• Company must already be incorporated as a US legal entity before joining
• CEO commits full-time to the startup
• At least one founder relocates to Chicago and works alongside the cohort in person for the length of the program
• Joining another accelerator or incubator at the same time needs prior sign-off
• No university affiliation required, per the Alchemist Chicago partnership
Selection process
• Applicants attend an in-person Alchemist Chicago Bootcamp in Chicago before finalists are selected
• Finalists are announced and the official Duality cohort kicks off in December
• A separate in-person workshop and “Corporate Collision” industry session follow later in the program, around April
Benefits
• Entrepreneurial and business training from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Polsky Center, including IP strategy, SBIR/STTR prep, and VC/term sheet negotiation
• Mentorship from 55+ business experts, investors, and entrepreneurs, plus technical mentorship from quantum scientists at partner institutions
• Access to office space and state-of-the-art facilities, including lab space at the UChicago Science Incubator, subject to approval
• Partnership with Alchemist Accelerator (Alchemist Chicago) and IBM, including computing time on IBM Quantum System Two and IBM Ventures funding for select companies
• “Corporate Collision” industry engagement sessions with corporate partners including AWS
Notable alumni
Network
Shyama Majumdar, Senior Director, Accelerators and Investments; Anna Wislocki, Senior Associate Director; Rahul Singal, Associate Director; Susan Martinis (Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Governing Board Vice Chair; Samir Mayekar (Associate Vice President and Managing Director, Polsky Center), Governing Board Chief Operations Officer; David Awschalom, Director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange and Q-NEXT; Rashid Bashir, Dean, Grainger College of Engineering, UIUC; Supratik Guha, Senior Advisor, Argonne National Laboratory; Brad Henderson, CEO, P33; Paul Kearns, Director, Argonne National Laboratory; Madhav Rajan, Dean, Chicago Booth School of Business; corporate partners AWS and Caruso Ventures; in-kind partners MBHB and Toptica; founding partners Polsky Center, Chicago Quantum Exchange, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne National Laboratory, and P33; program partners Alchemist Accelerator and IBM
Portfolio
Roughly 30 startups across 5 cohorts since 2021, with Cohort 5 currently active at 7 companies; notable exit: Super.tech, acquired by Infleqtion, formerly ColdQuanta, in 2022
Funds raised
Duality alumni had raised over $20 million collectively as of 2024; more recent individual raises include Photon Queue’s $4 million seed round in 2026 and Quantum Rings’ strategic investment from State Farm Ventures in 2025
🕐 Sep 2026
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