quantum-sensing
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Evan Kervella Is Taking MRI Out of the Basement
A failed first startup taught Evan Kervella to rebuild his circumstances. Now he is pairing quantum sensors, software and patient hardware in a long campaign to make MRI easier to place where people already receive care.
Advanced Navigation
Advanced Navigation is a Sydney-based deep-technology company building navigation and autonomy systems that let robots, ships, aircraft, submarines and spacecraft know where they are when GPS is jammed, denied or simply unavailable. Founded in 2012 by Xavier Orr and Chris Shaw to commercialise AI-based inertial navigation research, it now designs and manufactures fibre optic gyroscopes, MEMS inertial sensors, underwater acoustic positioning and a miniature autonomous underwater vehicle across defense, space, marine, mining and commercial markets. In March 2026 it raised US$110M in Series C funding to accelerate its expansion into photonics, AI and quantum sensing.
Chipiron
Chipiron is a Paris-based medical-imaging startup building a compact, low-cost MRI scanner that runs at an ultra-low magnetic field (below ~30 millitesla, roughly 1,000x weaker than a hospital MRI). Its patented low-Tc SQUID quantum detection system plus AI noise cancellation and reconstruction are designed to recover clinical-grade image quality without a shielded room, without helium, and at a fraction of the cost, size, and infrastructure of conventional machines. The company's stated aim is to make MRI accessible everywhere, starting with breast imaging, and eventually reach patients, clinics, and remote settings that today's scanners can't serve.
Diffraqtion
Diffraqtion is a Somerville, Massachusetts deeptech company building what it calls the first quantum camera for satellites and telescopes. Spun out of research at MIT and the University of Maryland, its photon-counting sensors paired with AI aim to extract far more information from incoming light than conventional CMOS or CCD sensors, letting smaller, cheaper optics see beyond the diffraction limit. The company targets space domain awareness, defense, and Earth observation, and raised $4.2M in pre-seed funding in January 2026 alongside a DARPA SBIR contract.
Johannes Galatsanos
Johannes Galatsanos is Co-Founder and CEO of Diffraqtion, a Boston-based quantum imaging startup that has built a quantum camera capable of recovering 95% of photon information lost by conventional sensors - translating to 20x higher resolution and 1,000x faster image processing than any existing optical system. A multilingual MIT and Oxford graduate with Greek-German roots, Galatsanos pivoted from leading AI and data transformation at Novartis to commercializing a decade of DARPA- and NASA-backed quantum photonics research. Diffraqtion won first prize at SLUSH 2025, secured a $4.2M pre-seed round in January 2026, and is targeting satellite launches for space domain awareness and Earth observation by 2028-2029.
Qunnect
Qunnect is a New York-based deep-tech company building hardware that turns ordinary telecom fiber into scalable quantum networks. Its room-temperature, field-deployable devices distribute entangled photons over existing infrastructure - no cryogenics or vacuum chambers required. The flagship Carina product suite powers real-world quantum testbeds in New York and Berlin, and is sold to customers across finance, energy, telecom, and defense.
Matt Goldman
Matt Goldman is a General Partner at J2 Ventures, a Boston-based early-stage VC firm backing dual-use technologies at the intersection of commercial markets and U.S. national security. A retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with 22+ years of service, he served as the founding Chief Medical Officer of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), bridging commercial innovation with defense applications. Simultaneously, he is a practicing pediatric gastroenterologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford Children's Health - an almost singular combination of MD, military officer, and venture capitalist. J2 Ventures has raised three funds totaling $468M+ and backed 35+ startups including two unicorns: Oura and Apex Space.