UChicago appoints duo to Duality

University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has hired Chuck Vallurupalli and Preeti Chalsani to serve as the inaugural senior director and deputy director, respectively, of its Duality accelerator.
Duality was launched in April this year as the first accelerator programme in the US to focus exclusively on quantum technologies.
Led by the Polsky Center and Chicago Quantum Exchange, Duality’s founding partners also include University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne National Laboratory and P33, an organisation focused on connecting stakeholders in Chicago’s ecosystem to actors elsewhere.
Vallurupalli will oversee all aspects of Duality, including formulating the programme’s strategic vision, fostering relationships with partners, mentors, investors and other stakeholders.
He has also joined Polsky’s executive leadership, having previously acted as entrepreneur-in-residence since 2018 and spearheaded initiatives such as the DeepTechU conference for the centre.
Preeti Chalsani will take on the post of deputy director while continuing to be responsible for her current duties as director of industry partnerships for quantum information science, a joint appointment with the Polsky Center and Chicago Quantum Exchange.
Vallurupalli said: “I am extremely excited to lead Duality and provide early-stage quantum startups with world-class business expertise and technical support to advance their success.
“I look forward to working side-by-side with the Chicago Quantum Exchange, as well as founding partners University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne, and P33, to bring together our region’s preeminent quantum experts and resources to accelerate the commercialisation of innovations powered by quantum science and technology.”
Duality’s first cohort will launch on July 12. The selection process is ongoing and participants are set to be revealed in the coming weeks.
– Image courtesy of University of Chicago