The DNA of Entrepreneurial Mindset: A 500-Year Leap for Humankind with Optical Quantum Computers / Kan Takase, OptQC Corp.
OptQC Corp. is striving for early realization of optical quantum computers. We sat down with Kan Takase, who leads the company, to ask about his personal side and aspirations.
Written by the Universe Editorial Team
In The DNA of Entrepreneurial Mindset, we pick startup entrepreneurs who are in the limelight to find out their current values and mindset from various angles.
This time we welcomed Kan Takase, CEO of OptQC Corp. (OptQC).
Kan Takase
1994: Born and raised in a small town in Hyogo, Japan, where he became interested in science
2013: Entered the University of Tokyo, where he immersed himself in English theater
2016: Joined Furusawa Lab for his graduation thesis. Won the excellent graduation thesis prize
2017: Majored in applied physics at the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo. Embarked on comprehensive optical quantum computer research in the Furusawa Lab
2019: Obtained a master’s degree. Won the Shoji Tanaka prize
2022: Obtained a doctor’s degree. Became an assistant professor of the Furusawa Lab
2024: Founded OptQC and became the CEO of the company
──What made you start a company?
It started with an idea to boost the performance of optical quantum computers during my research activities at the Furusawa Lab (a lab at the University of Tokyo that conducts research on optical quantum computers). Each type of quantum computer has pros and cons, but the purpose of my research was to significantly enhance the shortcomings of optical quantum computers.
While I felt that it would result in an amazing breakthrough by combining my idea and technologies that Furusawa Lab had accumulated, I was concerned that I might end up doing only basic research if I continue the research at the university. That is why I founded a company to bring the achievements of the team including me to society.
──How do you face failures and setbacks?
Given that things rarely go as expected, I am quite resilient when faced with failure. For example, research is a cycle of producing results over one to two years, accumulating failures until the final results are obtained. I myself have experienced various failures in choosing research topics and other life events. Therefore, my policy is that perfectionism prevents you from doing anything. The important thing is to succeed when it counts, so it is OK to keep failing in order to achieve results at those crucial moments. However, while failure is acceptable as a means to win at crucial moments, I do not believe in getting used to failing at such moments. I keep those important failures in mind and use them as fuel to be hungry to win for the next pivotal moment.
──What are your non-negotiables?
Not to destroy intellectual resources. The Furusawa Lab, the origin of OptQC, is a place where top-level individuals have built up knowledge and technology over 20 years. If the Furusawa Lab were to disappear someday, this accumulation might be lost, which I consider an unacceptable destruction of resources. One way to prevent this was starting a business. Furthermore, the individuals currently involved and expressing interest in becoming involved with OptQC are all top-tier talent. Wasting their abilities without bringing them out is something I absolutely want to avoid.
──Can you briefly explain your team?
Top-notch. There are countless researchers and engineers in the world, with varying levels of expertise. However, the Furusawa Lab is a world-class research laboratory, and through daily activities and interactions with external parties, I have consistently witnessed what it means to be top-notch. Currently, I believe our company has assembled an impeccable team, and I am confident that if this team cannot succeed, no one can.
──How do you recharge yourself when you feel tired mentally and physically?
What really helps is not checking emails or Slack. Connecting with the outside world can be exhausting. If I am not careful, I can easily end up checking emails all the time, so when I want to refresh, it is vital for me to focus solely on the things within my immediate surroundings. After that, I do things I enjoy, like taking a bath or listening to music.
──What drives you forward?
My driving forces are the desire to do something interesting and the sense of responsibility to prevent the destruction of intellectual resources, which I mentioned earlier. I believe that the intersection of these two motivations led to this startup. Without these two, undertaking something as incredibly challenging as running a company would be impossible. To me, the willingness to do something interesting is similar to the willingness to see a new world. Starting a business after moving away from a somewhat closed world of academia has made me experience something new every single day, with unexpected things happening, which is incredibly fascinating. My world is expanding, and I feel the same excitement as when I first traveled abroad. I would like to continue expanding the business and broaden my horizons even further.
──What does it take to become a CEO?
To create an environment where members can make the right efforts. I believe this quality is particularly crucial to deep tech startups like OptQC. While my creed is to do something interesting, the company would quickly collapse if I just go ahead and develop whatever I want to. Deep tech startups spun out of universities tend to easily fall into the trap of allocating effort to unique but in fact low-priority research and development. We must set convincing goals from both technological and business perspectives and effectively utilize the members’ abilities.
──Do you have any books that helped you shape your values?
Kirawareru Yuuki (English title: The Courage to Be Disliked) While the universal goal for everyone is to be happy, life presents such a wide variety of worries, making it seem difficult to achieve that goal. However, this book explains that life is very simple and happiness is easy to attain. I read this book around the age of 20 before even becoming a researcher, let alone starting a company, and it shaped my current values of living a life for myself.
──Lastly, please share your aspirations.
My goal is to realize optical quantum computers for humankind to make a 500-year leap in the next 50 years. Applications of quantum computers often include accelerating drug discovery and material development, enhancing machine learning performance, and quantum simulations. However, the reality is that it is often unclear how they will ultimately benefit society. Yet, computers have become the foundation of almost all human activities and are the driving force behind the evolution of civilization. I believe that optical quantum computers, as the ultimate computers, will be the most efficient tools for advancing humanity. My dream is to witness the rapid emergence of innovations that are impossible in the current computer society, through the early realization of optical quantum computers. My short-term goal is to position OptQC as the definitive company for optical quantum computers, making it synonymous with quantum computers. From a user’s perspective, optical quantum computers have the advantage of significantly lower implementation costs compared to other methods. I want to communicate these benefits.
OptQC Corp.
OptQC is a startup aiming for early realization of optical quantum computers. This technology could serve as the foundation for next-generation information processing because of the highly-scalable processors that operate under normal temperature and pressure.
OptQC is planning to release a cloud-based commercial machine in 2026. Focusing on these operational machines, the company is building an ecosystem for users and component vendors and driving the application of optical quantum computers to society.