Seoul – October 06, 2026 -- Four Korean quantum technology startups completed a Midwest U.S. tour spanning Wisconsin and Chicago under the Global Bridge Program, securing direct access to accelerators, state economic agencies and university-led quantum institutes following Quantum World Congress 2026 in Maryland.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) organized the delegation as lead agency for the quantum sector under South Korea's Deeptech Incubator Project for Startups (DIPS), a program overseen by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and administered by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development.
Milwaukee pitch session gives startups direct access to gener8tor leadership
In Milwaukee, the delegation held a focused pitch workshop with U.S. accelerator gener8tor, engaging co-founders Troy Vosseller and Joe Kirgues in direct Q&A sessions. Separately, the group met Fanfu Li, Director of International Business Development at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), to map connections with local industry networks. Both sides agreed to sustain the dialogue ahead of a Wisconsin trade delegation visit to South Korea scheduled for November 2026.
Chicago meetings target commercialization pathways for quantum hardware
In Chicago, the startups met leaders across the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE), the University of Chicago, the Bloch Quantum Tech Hub, mHUB and the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP). The delegation also engaged the Illinois Economic Development Corporation, including Chief Quantum Officer Preeti Chalsani, on integrating Korean startups into the state's quantum business network.
At the University of Chicago, the startups presented their technologies to David Awschalom, Director of the Chicago Quantum Institute and Founding Director of CQE. The IQMP site covers 128 acres and is designed to bring quantum and microelectronics firms, researchers and suppliers into a shared infrastructure base, while mHUB serves as Chicago's hard-tech validation and scale-up center.
KIST frames tour as groundwork for sustained U.S. market relationships
Dr. SunJoon Kang, Director of KIST's Technology Commercialization Office and head of the DIPS quantum sector, said Korean startups need sustained relationships with investors and industrial leaders, not just technology showcases, to scale globally.
The Midwest tour extends KIST's 2026 U.S. engagement sequence, which began at the SelectUSA Investment Summit and continued through QWC 2026. The four participating startups were TruPixel (SPAD-based single-photon detection sensors), OptiQ-Labs (optical hardware for trapped-ion systems), QRENS (quantum software including the QubitSquare framework) and Elixir (hybrid classical-quantum computing for drug development and biomarker discovery).