Caltech to Host Free Quantum Technology Event as Part of Pasadena’s Connect Week – Pasadena Now

A free event at the California Institute of Technology on April 14 will feature a panel on commercializing quantum research, a fireside chat with a Jet Propulsion Laboratory physicist, and exhibits from local startups, as Pasadena marks World Quantum Day during its citywide innovation week.

Quantum Day Pasadena, organized by venture capital firm Qubits Ventures, is part of both the annual international observance of World Quantum Day and Innovate Pasadena’s Connect Week, a series of events running April 12 through 16 co-hosted by the City of Pasadena Economic Development Division. The afternoon event, scheduled from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Hameetman Auditorium in the Cahill Center, is intended to connect students, founders, and investors across Southern California’s quantum technology community, according to a press release issued by the event’s public relations firm, HKA Marketing Communications.

“With so many leading academic programs in the area, including Cal Tech, USC, UCSB, UCLA and UCI, as well as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and a growing quantum technology startup community, an event like this is long overdue,” Nardo Manaloto, managing partner of Qubits Ventures, said in the press release.

The program includes a panel discussion, “From Lab to Market, Accelerating Commercialization and Securing Funding,” moderated by Doug Finke, managing editor of the Quantum Computing Report and chief content officer of Global Quantum Intelligence. A fireside chat, “Building a Quantum Ecosystem,” will feature JPL physicist Lin Yi, who serves as technical group supervisor of the Advanced RF and Optical Technologies Group at the laboratory, alongside Manaloto.

Other speakers listed in the press release include Alan Ho, chief executive of Qolab, a superconducting quantum computing hardware company co-founded by John Martinis, its chief technology officer, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics, according to the company; Farzaneh Afshinmanesh, chief executive of PINC Technologies, a Pasadena-based Caltech spinout developing nonlinear photonic devices; Hooman Mohseni, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northwestern University; David Liebrandt, a quantum physicist at UCLA; and Beth Kuchar, founding partner at Embroaden and a board member of Innovate Pasadena.

The Caltech venue is sponsored by the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter at Caltech. Snacks and a happy hour are sponsored by law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Local startups and academic institutions will exhibit quantum devices, projects, and applications, along with dedicated networking time, according to the press release.

Qubits Ventures describes itself as a venture capital firm investing in early-stage quantum and advanced computing technologies globally. The firm is an investor in PINC Technologies, the Pasadena-based Caltech spinout whose chief executive is among the event’s speakers, according to a separate press release from the company.

“Quantum Day Pasadena will bring together students and academics, founders, scientists, researchers and investors and serve as a catalyst for growth for the Southern California tech community,” Manaloto said in the announcement.

World Quantum Day is observed annually on April 14, a date referencing the rounded first three digits of Planck’s constant, a fundamental value in quantum physics. Connect Week, now in its latest iteration, brings together founders, investors, researchers, and students across Pasadena’s innovation ecosystem, according to the City of Pasadena.

“These events highlight the collaboration and talent that make Pasadena a hub for meaningful innovation,” David Klug, the city’s economic development director, said in a separate announcement.

Doors open at 1:30 p.m. The event is open to all ages. Parking is paid. Registration is available at eventbrite.com. Those requiring accommodations related to a disability are asked to contact the organizer through the Eventbrite page at least 10 working days before the event.

“Connect Week is about strengthening connections across Pasadena’s innovation ecosystem,” Mike Giardello, chairman of Innovate Pasadena, said. “From students and startups to established companies and world-class research institutions, this week showcases the community that makes Pasadena a unique innovation hub.”