Review of the “Quantum Business Bootcamp” Workshop in Bad Honnef:
More than 60 aspiring founders and entrepreneurs attended the three-day workshop “Quantum Business Bootcamp: From Quantum Networks to Your Own Business” at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef (PBH) from 01 to 03 December 2025 to explore the various aspects of starting a business in the field of Quantum Technologies. Organized by QR.N, the event offered participants a comprehensive overview of key topics in entrepreneurship, as well as in-depth insights into challenges, obstacles, and success factors on the path to starting their own company. Of course, SQuaD partners also took the opportunity to contribute to the workshop with their own sessions.
After a joint lunch, Prof. Dr. Christoph Becher (Universität des Saarlandes), spokesperson of the QR.N consortium and SQuaD partner, opened the bootcamp with a general introduction. Dr. Mara Schuler-Bermann (Triathlon Transfer GmbH) kicked off the expert presentations with her talk on successfully transforming research results into business ventures, providing important initial impulses. Tilmann Lahann (Tax & Legal Digital) then gave a structured overview of the most important legal do’s and don’ts of founding a company. Despite the legal focus, he conveyed the topic in an engaging and practical way, stimulating numerous questions that continued into the following coffee break. In a further presentation, Lahann covered intellectual property, including patents, utility models, and trademarks. During the joint dinner, participants had ample opportunity for networking, exchange, and in-depth conversations over drinks.
The second day focused on “From Business Model to Personal Founding Experiences.” The morning began with a presentation by Dr. Johannes Koeth (nanoplus Nanosystems and Technologies GmbH) on developing viable business models in the deep-tech sector. Florian Sägebrecht (Technische Universität Dresden) then highlighted the importance of personal suitability and soft skills for successful entrepreneurship. In a hands-on session led by him, participants were able to refine their own ideas, further develop them under professional guidance, and present them to the group. The high level of engagement and expertise of participants, who had already been working intensively on their startup ideas, was particularly evident. Many attendees were also eager to hear personal experiences from established Quantum Technology Start-ups. In this context, Dr. Jonathan Noé (Qlibri GmbH), Dr. Christian Zimmermann (neQxt GmbH), Oliver de Vries (Quantum Optics Jena GmbH), and SQuaD partner Imran Khan (KEEQuant GmbH) shared their experiences in building their companies in Germany, sparking extensive questions and discussions.
The third day focused on funding and financing. Dr. Linus Krieg (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt), coordinator of the umbrella project, provided a structured overview of the current funding landscape for Quantum Technologies. This was followed by Dr. Beatrice Andres (VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH), who presented the StartUpSecure initiative of the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR), aimed specifically at aspiring founders and start-ups in cybersecurity. Martin Sommerfeldt (MS Beteiligungs- und Vermögensverwaltungs-GmbH) provided an investor perspective, highlighting not only investment considerations for science-based spin-offs but also the mutual benefits of such collaborations. The workshop concluded with final remarks and a short survey conducted by Dr. Andreas Pfenning (Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg).
Overall, the bootcamp was an ideal platform for SQuaD as well to make new contacts and engage with aspiring founders. We look forward to welcoming the next successful Quantum Technology Start-ups in the near future.
Photos: Impressions of the Quantum Business Bootcamp.
Author of the photos: © QR.N
Source reference: https://quantenrepeater.net/quantum-business-bootcamp‑3/