qConnect 2026 Agenda & Speakers

Venture Forum

Day 1 of qConnect 2026 kicks off with an invite-only Venture Forum. This morning session goes beyond public pitches, bringing together small, focused groups of top quantum startups and select global investors. The conversations are designed to go deeper, centered on use cases and readiness from startups to scale and attract investment.  

• Startups: qConnect 2026 Venture Forum - Startup Application
• Investors: qConnect 2026 Venture Forum - Investor Application

To inquire about an invitation, please email the Quantum City team

Networking Lunch

Join fellow qConnect attendees for lunch at Quantum City’s qHub and take a well-deserved break to enjoy great food and even better conversations.

Connect with researchers, industry leaders and innovators from across the quantum ecosystem, explore potential collaborations and expand your network in a relaxed, welcoming setting.

Whether you’re looking to spark a new partnership, exchange ideas or simply recharge before the next session, this is your opportunity to connect over lunch and keep the conversation going.

Workshops

Day 1 continues with a dynamic afternoon of workshops designed to explore the potential of quantum technologies across three critical sectors: defence & aerospace, cybersecurity and energy.

Dive into real-world applications, implementation pathways and sector-specific challenges while gaining practical insights from experts working at the forefront of quantum innovation.

Participants will leave with practical insights, relevant use cases and actionable steps toward becoming quantum-ready.

Closing Keynote

Building a quantum strategy for your organization: practical steps to get your organization quantum ready. 

Join us at qConnect 2026, where quantum strategy consultants Danica Marsden and Ryan Sim of Enterprise Quantum will lead an interactive workshop to help your organization become quantum ready.

Gain practical insights, proven tools and actionable frameworks to identify quantum opportunities, assess your organization's readiness and develop a roadmap for navigating the quantum future.

Welcome Reception

All qConnect 2026 registrants are invited to the Welcome Reception at Quantum City’s qHub. Join fellow attendees, speakers, sponsors and industry partners for an evening of relaxed networking, early connections and conversation ahead of the conference the following day.

Keynote: Quantum Technologies at the Frontline: Securing and Powering the Systems of the Future

A strategic keynote on how quantum sensing, communications and computing are redefining national security, energy resilience and industrial competitiveness. 

Panel: Powering Critical Infrastructure: Quantum’s Breakout Moment in Energy

This panel will explore how quantum tech is starting to help the energy sector—making grids more reliable, improving how we see underground and helping renewables work better. Panelists will explain why energy is a key testing ground for quantum, how it connects to national security and what’s needed to scale these tools from small pilots to real industrial use. 

Panel: Mission-Driven Quantum: Building Secure and Strategic Advantage

Defence organizations around the world are accelerating quantum adoption to strengthen operational readiness, intelligence capabilities and secure communications. This panel unpacks the dual-use implications of these technologies, the evolving regulatory landscape and how defence procurement and innovation pathways are shaping the global competitive environment. Panelists will also discuss how breakthroughs in defence affect civilian sectors including health, finance and critical infrastructure protection. 

Panel: From Pilot to Adoption: Co-Developing Quantum Solutions That Industry Will Buy

Real adoption happens when industry and innovators build together. This session brings together utilities, defence organizations, and quantum startups to discuss what makes a quantum pilot successful, the technical and business milestones required and how to de-risk adoption in mission-critical environments. Panelists will share lessons from early deployments in energy and defence and highlight how applications in health and finance can accelerate commercialization and scale. 

Keynote: Moonshots in a Quantum World

Quantum technology is entering the same frontier phase that once fueled space exploration, autonomous transportation and global grand challenges. In this closing keynote, the session will explore how quantum as a dual-use technology can help address urgent global challenges while also creating significant economic opportunity. Looking ahead 10 to 20 years, this keynote explores how quantum capabilities in sensing, computing and communications could transform energy resilience, climate adaptation, defence readiness, medical breakthroughs and global security. It challenges industry leaders, innovators and investors to embrace moonshot thinking: to build responsibly, scale collaboratively and unlock a future where quantum technologies become essential tools for human progress.

Evening Mixer

All registrants for qConnect 2026 are invited to attend the Evening Mixer at the close of the conference. Join us to wrap up qConnect, celebrate the connections made throughout the event, and continue conversations with fellow attendees, speakers and partners in a social setting. The mixer will be held at Guild, on the first floor of the Hudson event space.