New podcast episode - Kate Timmerman on who actually builds the U.S. quantum supply chain

This week I wanted to understand what $55 million in federal Tech Hub funding actually buys. Kate Timmerman had the answer, and it isn't more research.

Kate is CEO of the Chicago Quantum Exchange, which she grew from three founding institutions to a coalition of more than 50 industry and academic partners.

Why CQE launched 18 months before the National Quantum Initiative Act, and how that head start won multiple NQI research centers
How small Midwest manufacturers can pivot into quantum components without re-tooling from scratch
The single-sourced, imported parts — nano-positioners, optics, vacuum systems — quietly slowing every quantum company's ability to ship product

The moment that stuck with me: Kate's case that employers can't forecast their own hiring needs, so ecosystem builders have to do it for them. It reframes what workforce development actually means in deep tech.

-> Listen now

Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.

-- Sebastian

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This week's podcast episode features a stimulating conversation about the philosophical questions posed by quantum information science and technology and how they defy the usual stereotypes about the esoterica, abstract nature of philosophy.

Beginner's mind

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The Wrong Yardstick

Book launch (and sale!)

Elise Crull: When Philosophy Becomes an Engineering Problem

Beginner's mind