LuxQuanta's 2022 Accomplishments: Looking Ahead to a Bright Future

As we enter the exciting new year of 2023, LuxQuanta reflects on the journey and accomplishments of 2022. This last year was our second year as a company, and we achieved many milestones that will propel us into an even more successful year in 2023.

 
LUXQUANTA'S TEAM

One of our main goals for the past year was to expand and strengthen our team of top professionals. At the start of 2022, we had a small te am of just six people, including the founders, Saeed Ghasemi and Sebastian Etcheverry, who started the company in May 2021.

During the year, we worked hard to hire a diverse group of experts in their respective fields, including 2 Software Engineers, 3 R&D Engineers, and one Electronic Engineer. These six new incorporations to the technical team will ensure the development of our technology, following our ambitious roadmap.

Furthermore, preparing for this new year, we have strengthened our commercial team by hiring a Finance & Accounting Manager and a Strategy & Outreach Manager. With their help, we are ensuring the proper internal functioning and preparing for the successful commercialization of our CV-QKD system.

Overall, this brought our total team size to 14, representing a 133% growth in the workforce without plans to stop our growth any time soon. We are proud to have assembled this highly skilled and accomplished team despite the shortage of qualified professionals in Quantum field. Their dedication and hard work will undoubtedly lead to significant advancements in the company.

 
TORRES-QUEVEDO GRANTS FOR TWO R&D ENGINEERS

In line with our values of excellence, two of our research engineers, Dr. Jeison Tabares and Dr. Samael Sarmiento, received the prestigious Spanish grant "Torres Quevedo." This grant is a distinguished award in Spain supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN) and the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI). It aims to promote the professional careers of researchers and stimulate the demand for highly skilled personnel in the private sector to work on R&D projects. This support also helps to consolidate newly founded tech companies like LuxQuanta.

Remarkably, Dr. Tabares was the 2nd candidate selected out of a ranking of 200 awarded doctors, and Dr. Sarmiento was in the 10th position. The selection criteria are based on the excellence of their research trajectory and the nature and impact of the project where they will work.

At LuxQuanta, we believe in hiring the best talent available and supporting the incorporation of PhDs into the industry. We are proud to have the finest talent in the industry as part of our team and are confident they will excel in working on LuxQuanta's QKD systems, contributing to the growth and success of the company.

It is a priority for us to continue building a talented and dedicated team focused on developing secure QKD systems.

 
VANESA DIAZ NAMED AS CEO OF LUXQUANTA

In addition to growing our team, we also had a leadership change this year. Vanesa Diaz, formerly the company's Business Development Manager, was named CEO of LuxQuanta. Vanesa, holding an MSc in Telecommunications, joined the company at the end of 2021 with over 18 years of experience in the optical fiber industry, having worked with one of the largest multinationals in the sector. Under her leadership, we have the direction, strategy, and energy we need to achieve our most ambitious goals.

We are also glad to have a talented and professional woman leading the company, aiming to represent women in Directive positions within the tech industry and wishing to inspire young women to dream and set ambitious goals for their future. We believe it is important to have a reference figure if possible when aiming for the most ambitious goals.

LUXQUANTA IN THE INDUSTRY

This year, we also attended the main events in the industry, looking to communicate our mission and get to know all the players in the Quantum Cryptography sector. At these events, Vanesa had the opportunity to share and present our current work and goals for the near future.

Furthermore, we are an active member of different governmental projects aiming to deploy and secure the national communications Network. As an example, we took part in the first industry meeting of the PERTEChip, a national project aiming to position Spain as a semiconductor and microchip industry leader.

Regarding to projects, we can gladly announce that we have been accepted in the European DIGITAL project as part of the consortium QUARTER. The mission will be to develop and mature the QKD technology and be an active contributor in the deployment of QKD links through Europe, building the ambitious European Quantum Communication infrastructure.

FIRST FIELD TEST OF OUR CV-QKD SYSTEMS

One of our key achievements in 2022 was the successful demonstration of our QKD systems in a real-life scenario. We established a quantum communication link over a 30km point-to-point optical fiber link between the headquarters of the ICFO (Castelldefels) and the Government of Catalunya at CTTI's head offices (Hospitalet de Llobregat).

The test was done using a video conference platform, where the communication was encrypted using our CV-QKD system. The quantum keys were generated through a 30 km point-to-point optical link between the two headquarters, and each message was subsequently encrypted with these quantum-safe keys. With this, it was possible to not only monitor the performance of the communication but also to detect any instances where a hacker may have been trying to steal the quantum keys, at which point the system would alert the users.

This demonstration showed the great potential of our technology to protect all kinds of data in the future. Remarkably, its advantages are not confined to the telecommunications industry but have the capability to extend to other crucial sectors of society including, but not limited to, critical infrastructures, public administration, and healthcare.

CONCLUSIONS

To sum up, last year, LuxQuanta accomplished numerous objectives within the quantum cryptography industry, on its way to establishing itself as a leader in the field.

These milestones are a testament to our unwavering commitment and relentless dedication to excellence in all that we do. We will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible and pave the way for a brighter, more secure future through the power of Quantum Cryptography.