Last week, the Quantum Business Network (QBN) partnered in the inaugural Servus Scale Up 2026 – The Bavarian-French Startup Festival. Co-organized by La French Tech Munich and co-hosted by the IHK für München und Oberbayern, the event brought together startups, investors, researchers, and policymakers from France and Germany with a singular, practical focus: turning Europe’s scientific quantum research into commercial market success.
The QBN ecosystem was strongly represented throughout the program, showcasing our members’ leadership across quantum computing, industrial applications, and enabling technologies:
- Scaling Europe’s Quantum Future: Prof. Jeanette Lorenz (Head of Department at Fraunhofer IKS) and Prof. Thomas Volz (General Manager at Quandela) joined the expert panels to share practical strategies for scaling technology and building resilient, cross-border supply chains.
- Securing Technological Sovereignty: Dr. Laurent Guiraud (CEO and Co-Founder of ColibriTD) contributed to discussions on building trusted, reliable partnerships between deep-tech developers and industrial end-users.
- Award-Winning Innovation: QBN member Peak Quantum received the Best German Startup Award during the pitch competition, highlighting the high-caliber talent emerging within our network.
Practical Takeaways for the Quantum Industry & Policy
The panel discussions and bilateral exchanges pointed to four core actions required to move the European quantum sector forward:
- Move from Lab to Market: Europe has world-class scientific research, but lags behind in commercialization. To scale, the ecosystem must focus on market demand, competitive business models, and faster industrial adoption.
- Support the Whole Value Chain: True technological independence is not just about building quantum hardware. European sovereignty requires active, local development in software, enabling components (like lasers and cryogenics), and secure intellectual property.
- Implement “Co-Design” Workflows: Rather than building technology in a vacuum, quantum hardware and software providers must design their systems in direct coordination with industrial end-users to solve specific, real-world calculations.
- Leverage Cross-Border Supply Chains: The French and German quantum ecosystems complement each other. Connecting these hubs directly is the fastest way to build a reliable, European-made supply chain that can compete globally.
Ultimately, the event proved that the technological foundations in Europe are incredibly strong. However, winning a global market share will depend entirely on how fast we can get industrial companies to adopt these technologies and how closely we can collaborate across borders.
QBN remains committed to serving as the central network that bridges the gap between research, investment, policy, and industry deployment.
A sincere thank you to La French Tech Munich for organizing Servus Scale Up 2026, IHK für München und Oberbayern for co-hosting, and our fellow ecosystem partners Quantum Launchpad, TUM Venture Labs, Le Lab Quantique, Bayern Innovativ, and Fraunhofer AHEAD for making this valuable bilateral exchange possible.
Image Copyright: CelineTheret
