Unitary Fund got started in June 2018 with a blogpost, $6k, and a microgrant program. At the time, the quantum industry was just emerging. I wrote:

Quantum computing also remains a place where small teams and open research projects can make a big difference… My thesis for what’s happening here is that we are codifying, in open source software, the mathematics of quantum computing that have been developed over the last few decades. This makes the field more accessible and interactive. It allows us to progress faster, together. It is much more effective to stand on the shoulders of giants when you can import them as an API.

I still believe this. And I believe it even more for what has happened in quantum technology as a whole sector over the last 6.5 years.

The Unitary Fund experiment has supported the truth of this statement and itself has grown so much. We gave our 100th microgrant last year! I am grateful and encouraged by the many of you who have made this happen so successfully: our supporters, team, advisors, microgrants, community and many others..

With this help, we have expanded beyond our core microgrant program. We now:

• staff an in-house technical team working on public goods in quantum tech
• develop mitiq: the main cross-platform open source error-mitigating compiler
• run metriq: an open source platform for quantum tech benchmarks
• run unitaryHack bounty programs, a community discord, and the major global quantum developer survey
• publish research on quantum compilation, benchmarking, and foundations

We are now more than a micro-grant fund. All of these programs accelerate our drive to build the open foundation for the quantum technology ecosystem.

To better represent our growth, we are re-branding as Unitary Foundation: https://unitary.foundation. Though we have a new name, our mission remains the same:

Unitary Foundation: creating a quantum technology ecosystem that benefits the most people.

Want to join us on this mission? Email us at: partners@unitary.foundation

• Will Zeng, Founder and President at Unitary Foundation