P
ast two tight rows of
computer monitors and
oce chairs, with little
elbow room and a lot of
exposed wires, Andrew Fursman
leads a visitor into a cramped
meeting room. Inside, where a
whiteboard and glass walls are
covered in mathematical equa-
tions, the 35-year-old
CEO of 1QBit
attempts to explain the admit-
tedly complicated operations of
the company he founded three
years ago with business partner
Landon Downs.
In simple terms, 1QBit is
poised to become Canada's
next software giant—and part
of what's now a global hub
for quantum computing. The
†eld was e‡ectively launched
by Burnaby's DˆWave, which
released its †rst commercial
quantum computer in 2011,
and while half a dozen other
quantum software develop-
ers have emerged around the
world in the last two years,
industry observers (including
those at DˆWave) credit 1QBit
with making the most progress.
As Fursman (who had a stake
in DˆWave through his VC †rm,
Minor Capital, prior to founding
1QBit) con†dently puts it: Metro
Vancouver has "the highest den-
sity of people with experience
using a quantum computer" of
any city in the world.
To understand why this mat-
ters, you have to understand a
bit more about how quantum
ALBERT LAW DECEMBER 2015 BCBusiness 13
T HE MON T HLY IN FOR MER
TMı
"We have an embarras-
ingly beautiful province,
and it's not difcult to
sell that. But it's going to
come back to the people,
and that's our number
one advantage"
–p.17
"In August 1QBit
was recognized
by the World Eco-
nomic Forum (the
group famous
for its annual
high-flying winter
retreat in Davos,
Switzerland) as
one of its top
tech pioneers for
2015. It was the
only Canadian
company on a list
of 49"
D E C E M B E R 2 0 15
To Boldly Code
T e c h n o l o g y
1QBit is B.C.'s next big player in quantum computing—
but likely not its last by Trevor Melanson
INSIDE
The move to malting ... Uber's new competition? ... Prem Gill, cultural maven + more
QUANTUM LEAP
Andrew Fursman, CEO
of fast-growing 1QBit,
surveys his new office
in Bentall 5
