Announcing Booz Allen as Presenting Sponsor of QWC 2025 Startup Pitch Competition
Connected DMV, the regional nonprofit that operates Quantum World Congress (QWC), today announced that Booz Allen will serve as the Presenting Sponsor of the 2025 Quantum Startup Pitch Competition.
This year’s competition, taking place at Quantum World Congress on Tuesday, September 16, in Tysons, Virginia, highlights the convergence of quantum science with artificial intelligence (AI)—a powerful synergy creating new market opportunities across industries from healthcare and security to finance, logistics, and advanced manufacturing. The winner will be named during the event on Wednesday, September 17.
“As the presenting sponsor, Booz Allen brings both vision and deep expertise in the very technologies this competition is designed to spotlight,” said George Thomas, President & CEO of Connected DMV. “We are thrilled to partner with an advanced technology company that not only advises mission-critical clients on quantum and AI solutions but is also actively investing in the startups and scale-ups that are shaping the future. Their leadership ensures that our finalists will be celebrated on a truly global stage.”
“Quantum innovation depends on a whole-of-nation focus on delivering advanced technology solutions that will solve real-world challenges. Booz Allen operates across the spectrum of the quantum sciences and we have seen firsthand the impact that startups can play in this ecosystem,” said Dr. Jake Farinholt, Booz Allen Senior Quantum Scientist. “The 2025 Startup Pitch Competition brings together players that are dedicated to accelerating quantum technology and we look forward to helping to drive that innovation.”
About Booz Allen’s Quantum & AI Leadership
Booz Allen is an advanced technology company, with a strong track record in quantum information science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and mission systems integration. In 2025, the firm tripled its corporate venture capital fund to $300 million to accelerate investments in early-stage technologies—including quantum computing, AI, and autonomy—to meet urgent U.S. government and defense mission needs. Booz Allen Ventures also recently invested in SEEQC, a startup advancing scalable quantum hardware, underscoring the firm’s commitment to practical commercialization of next-generation technologies.
About the Quantum Startup Pitch Competition
In celebration of the International Year of Quantum, the 2025 Startup Pitch Competition calls on visionary early-stage companies that merge quantum technologies with AI and adjacent fields to solve real-world challenges. Finalists will pitch live on September 16 before a panel of global experts for a $25,000 grand prize, a table in the QWC Launchpad, and access to mentorship from NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers.
Past winners have included startups from North America and Europe working at the cutting edge of quantum hardware, sensing, and machine learning, with last year’s top prize awarded to EuQlid Inc. for breakthrough quantum sensing technology.
About Quantum World Congress
Quantum World Congress is the premier global stage for quantum innovation, convening leaders across industry, government, academia, and capital to accelerate the adoption and commercialization of quantum technologies. Operated by Connected DMV, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, QWC 2025 is produced in collaboration with the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) and the Quantum Industry Coalition (QIC).