How can one product revolutionise quantum technology and bring scientific breakthroughs to industry? AQLS has successfully achieved this with its innovative PPS-DG system. In this interview, you can find out how the company is driving the future of quantum research.
Congratulations you are one of the finalists of the 9th Deep Tech Award! What does the Deep Tech Award mean to you and what was the motivation behind your application?
Thanks a lot. We, as a young startup are delight to be nominated. To us this confirms that we are on a good track on become a serious player in Berlin’s vibrant Deep Tech community. And of course we are happy to to gain visibility, attract potential collaborators, and demonstrate the impact of our technology.
Berlin is said to be one of the few German hubs for technological innovation. How do you experience the local tech infrastructure and how is it influenced by the Deep Tech Award?
Berlin offers unique access to top-tier research institutions, a strong network of potential investors, and probably most important a pool of highly skilled talents. The Deep Tech Award enhances this ecosystem by spotlighting leading-edge innovations, attracting more investment, and encouraging partnerships. It reinforces Berlin’s reputation as a key hub for technological advancement, which in turn benefits all tech startups in the area.
Your category photonics and quantum technologies was opened for the first time in this year’s Deep Tech Award. Why do you think this is important for the photonics and quantum technology scene?
It is an important step for the Berlin quantum scene as it highlights the growing importance of these fields and acknowledges their potential to bring benefits to various sectors, from basic science to ICT. This recognition is perfectly aligned with Berlin Quantum and will foster innovation, attracts talent, and encourages investment, driving further advancements.
Let’s shift the perspective and talk about you a little more. You applied with your product/ solution PPS-DG. Please give us a little glimpse into your founding story and your key motivation to build this product.
AQLS was founded in 2023 by a dedicated team of three researchers, each with extensive experience in quantum optics spanning over 30 years combined. Our key motivation was to transition our most recent academic breakthroughs into practical applications. We identified a significant gap in the market for commercially available, high-quality sources of photon pairs, which are essential for advancing basic research, quantum metrology and photonic quantum information processing. Our product, PPS-DG, is designed to address this need, providing reliable and efficient photon-pair sources to facilitate further innovation in the quantum technology industry.
Why do you think AQLS made the finalists list and why is it Deep Tech?
Our work involves complex scientific and engineering challenges, long-term research, and has high potential for disruption in various fields. As such it is a typical deep tech technology. The Deep Tech Award recognizes innovations that push the boundaries of technology, and AQLS’s contributions to quantum photonics fit this criterion perfectly.
What is the key technological innovation within PPS-DG and why does it advance the state of the art?
The key technological innovation within PPS-DG is its ability to bring laser-like properties to the quantum domain. This includes narrow linewidth emission, well-defined spatial modes, tunability, and high purity.
These features significantly advance the state of the art for commercially available products. This allows for a more reliable and efficient setup of experiments for quantum sensing, quantum communication and computing, setting new standards in performance and enabling further advancements in the field of photonic quantum technologies.
What was the biggest obstacle in your developing process? How did you overcome it?
It was difficult to bridge the gap from proof a concept and lab demonstration to a working product. To get through this valley of tears we were very happy to have loyal anchor customers that trusted and encouraged to us, and thereby enabled us to move on and be where we are today.
How do you assess the market potential for PPS-DG und AQLS, and what strategies are you employing to capture market share?
The market potential for PPS-DG is substantial, given the increasing demand for advanced quantum sensing, quantum communication and computing technologies. Our product’s unique features position it as a leading solution in these emerging markets. To capture market share we are engaging with key players in the quantum technology industry, including research institutions and tech companies. Additionally we are forming strategic partnerships with academic and industrial leaders to integrate our technology into broader applications and projects.
What role does ongoing research and development play in your project, and how are you leveraging academic or industrial partnerships?
Ongoing research and development are crucial to the success of our AQLS. Continuous R&D allows us to refine and enhance the capabilities of our products and to tailor them to the changing needs of the rapidly developing market.
As spin-off from the academic world we have strong bounds with academia and Berlin Quantum. Most of our workforce is partially engaged in this academic world. This allows us to dynamically incorporate state-of-the-art research into our product development. Apart from that, we have academic partnerships for doing research into the applications of our technology.
What are the main challenges you anticipate in scaling up and commercializing your technology, and how do you plan to address them?
We are currently focusing on building products that fit customer-specific requirements. Currently the QT market is emerging and the scalability needs for photon-pair sources are not yet comparable to consumer products. That said we are developing ways to automate and simplify and optimize the production of the optical and mechanical sub-assemblies together with our partners from photonic integration. This will allow high agility when production at large scale is required without compromising quality.
What do you wish for in our technological or digital future?
We hope that society catches up with technological progress and manages to subjugate it for self-improvement and the well-being of all. By adhering to the sustainable development goals of the United Nations we hope to contribute to this process.
What advice would you like to pass to young entrepreneurs and tech innovators who want to reach their goals and maybe also want to take part in the Deep Tech Award 2025? Since out of 100 applicants you made it into the finalists, we figure you have some real pro-tips here.
Get in touch with your respective very knowledgeable and supportive ecosystem for technology startups in Berlin. Ensure your project addresses a real problem with a novel solution. Try to find early customers and convince them that you are able to bring them value. In the end this will not only help you financially but also give the best understanding of the market needs and improve your products.
Thank you so much for all your fascinating insights!
