On February 24, the Empire Club of Canada and Quantum Industry Canada convened a senior roundtable to tackle one of the most pressing questions facing Canada’s quantum, defence, and innovation community:
How do we ensure that Canadian quantum companies — already globally competitive — have the capital structures, procurement pathways, and industrial support to scale here, under Canadian control, before the window closes?
Held under the Chatham House Rule at Toronto’s Arcadian Court, the conversation drew senior leaders spanning the full quantum value chain.
In the room:
- CEOs of Canadian quantum companies at every stage of development
- Senior officials from the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces
- Capital providers across the full investment spectrum — from early-stage venture and deep tech funds to growth-stage investors and public market advisors
- Representatives from Crown corporations and government-backed innovation and market development organizations
- Leaders from across Canada’s broader defence, policy, and commercialization community
The discussion was moderated by Francesco Bova, Associate Professor at the Rotman School of Management and Chief Quantum Economist at the Creative Destruction Lab’s quantum stream.
Over ninety minutes, the group worked through four interconnected themes:
- The structural barriers facing quantum companies seeking capital in Canada
- The gap between procurement ambition and procurement reality
- The supply chain constraints limiting Canadian firms’ ability to scale
- The concrete actions Canada must take in the next two to three years to convert early leadership into enduring advantage.
The conversation was direct, informed, and at times urgent. There was a shared recognition that Canada’s quantum window is real, that competitive pressure is intensifying, and that the policy and capital structures currently in place are not yet calibrated to the moment.
QIC is grateful to the Empire Club of Canada for co-hosting, to Francesco for his expert moderation, and to every participant who came prepared to engage seriously with practical insights and thoughtful questions.
This is exactly the kind of conversation Canada needs to be having, and we intend to keep having it.
The roundtable was followed the same day by a main stage Empire Club event, Quantum Power and National Security: Canada’s New Strategic Imperative. If you weren’t able to attend, the recording is available to view on the Empire Club of Canada’s website.
