The VC firm, which already has centres in Canada, Switzerland and Japan, is now setting up operations in the Asian city-state and working to develop ideas in fields such as quantum computing, AI, and more.

QAI Ventures, which invests in advanced computing technologies, including quantum computing, has launched operations in Singapore.

The venture capital firm, which has a portfolio of 27 companies across Europe and North America, will use the Asian city-state as its APAC headquarters, it said in a statement yesterday. The Singapore office is led by Thomas Landis, managing director of QAI Ventures in Singapore.

QAI Ventures is partnering with Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) as part of the move.

The partnership is designed to reinforce Singapore’s efforts in research, development of intellectual property and the jurisdiction’s government-backed National Quantum Strategy, supported by close to S$300 million (about $222 million) in funding.

The firm concentrates on "quantum AI", which is the intersection of quantum computing and AI. According to one definition, quantum computing is a “rapidly-emerging technology that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems too complex for classical computers". (See a related article here.)

QAI Ventures will launch two flagship initiatives under the partnership with EnterpriseSG. These include a five-month QuantumAI Accelerator Program, designed to scout and scale global startups; and a Venture Building Program, focused on turning research into market-ready solutions.

Besides its new Singapore office, QAI Ventures has offices in Switzerland, Canada and Japan.

The group will host a “GenQ Quantum Hackathon” from 24 to 26 October, an event to scout for talent for its Accelerator Program and Venture Building. 

For early-stage entrepreneurs, QAI Ventures runs accelerator programmes in Basel and Calgary.