Chicago has recently been quite the hub for both accelerator programs and the start up community. Here we take a look at two: the launch of Duality and 1871.
Duality is America’s first accelerator program which is dedicated 100% to quantum science and technology startup firms. This specific industry is on track to become crucial in the development of numerous other related sectors. Duality itself is seeking to help quantum startups “bridge the gap between the laboratory and the marketplace… a critical barrier to success for emerging technologies.”
Chicago has become a key address for Global Quantum activity. For example in 2020 an announcement was made by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation to make Chicago the address for three out of the eight-federally funded quantum information science research entities.
The Chicago technical community has also recently been privy to the impact of startup incubator 1871, a company that “create the experiences and space that early stage, growth stage, and corporate innovators need while they build extraordinary businesses. We are actively committed to building a more inclusive and diverse community in order to provide those who are underrepresented a pathway into technology & innovation leadership.”
Now that Duality has acquired Hub88 – a company that offers an integration platform to guide gaming suppliers easily and efficiently through just one API for all casino operations – the merger will enable 1871 to provide increased access to emerging technologies. As Betsy Ziegler, CEO at 1871 explained:
“At 1871, we firmly believe in the transformative power of ‘and,’ that as a unified organization we can accelerate our members’ journeys across the maturity curve and embrace a deep technical focus in our programming, our physical spaces, and across the broader community. This is a remarkable opportunity to better support our members and expand our collective reach across Illinois and the greater Midwest. We are excited to welcome hub88’s innovators and university partners into the 1871 community.”
Chicago is fast becoming a tech hub where technology firms and startups are considering making their address.