NextQ

• The core founding/executive team (key decision-makers responsible for delivery and fundraising) must be based in Australia for the duration of the program.

• The company must have the operational capacity to build, validate, and engage customers/partners from Australia during the accelerator.

• The applicant must be an Australian-incorporated proprietary limited company (Pty Ltd) with an ABN/ACN.

• The company must be headquartered in Australia, with its principal place of business in Australia.

• The company must be incorporated no more than 18 months before the application close date.

The company’s core product/platform must be enabled by, dependent on, or meaningfully advance quantum technologies, including one or more of:

• Quantum computing (hardware or software)

• Quantum sensing and metrology

• Quantum communications and cryptography

• Enabling technologies (materials, control systems, cryogenics, photonics, fabrication, infrastructure)

• Quantum software, algorithms, and hybrid quantum–classical approaches

• Pre-seed or seed-stage.

• Typically TRL 4+ (or equivalent validation progress for software).

• Limited or no commercial revenue (pilots, paid trials, and grants are acceptable).

• Early-stage venture on the path to becoming investor-ready. University spin-outs are welcome, including those that have received incorporation or translational funding, provided the venture is still pre-Series A and early in its capital-raising journey

In plain English: your startup needs to clearly own, or have the rights to use, any IP needed to build and sell your product, with no major IP issues that would stop you raising investment or going to market.

1) Foreground IP (created while building the product or service)
All foreground IP developed by founders, employees, contractors or collaborators in the course of developing the product or service must be assigned to, and owned by, the applicant company (or the company can demonstrate a clear, legally enforceable pathway and timeline to secure assignment).

2) Background / pre-existing IP (needed to commercialise)
Any pre-existing/background IP that is required to commercialise the product must be:

• owned by the company, or

• subject to a licence that provides clear rights to develop and commercialise (including to use, make, sell and improve) globally (or worldwide within the relevant field of use), and is exclusive where required, perpetual (or for the life of the relevant IP / long enough to support commercialisation), sublicensable, and assignable or otherwise allows transfer on change of control / acquisition, on royalty-free or commercially reasonable terms.

3) Encumbrances and investability
The company must be able to disclose any actual or potential IP encumbrances (e.g., university claims, third-party restrictions, unclear inventor assignments) and demonstrate that there are no material encumbrances that would prevent investment or commercialisation (or that these can be resolved on a clear, credible path).

• Must be able to fly and attend first week and last week in person (Accommodation and flights provided by Quantum Australia) .