Interview: Patrick Gilday, Investor, Global Founders Capital

What are you most looking forward to at the Quantum.Tech conference?

Hearing from the leading experts. The field can feel quite opaque, especially in terms of practical applications. This will be a chance for everyone to gain a little more clarity and learn from the leaders.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the adoption of Quantum technology in 2020?

The technology is not there yet for broad practical applications so adoption in 2020 is just not possible. We will see this evolve over the next five years however. I think applications in finance and drug discovery will be among the most interesting near term applications. Right now the industry as a whole is still very fractured - there is a variety of hardware working in various ways. Consolidation around operating systems for example would be very helpful.

Top tips: How can you best engage and support the business to adopt Quantum technologies?

Ultimately this will take time and only occur as the technology advances. But making applications less opaque and demonstrating the immense value it will bring is important.

What are the first steps an organisation can take to start making their data and networks “Quantum safe”?

Start as soon as possible.

Patrick is part of the Investor judging panel at our Start-up & Investor Showcase Day, for more information visit: https://www.quantumtechcongress.co.uk/agenda/start-up-investor-showcase-day