Venture capitalist Alexa von Tobel plans to place a major wager on quantum computing with an initial focus on hardware. She is fully aware that the decision could fail to deliver returns and accepts that her timing may be premature.
“The risk of being too early is a real risk,” she says. The comment came during a Zoom call from the New York City office of Inspired Capital, the early-stage venture capital firm she runs with former US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker.
von Tobel’s move signals a commitment to fund the physical machines and related infrastructure that underpin quantum systems, but commercial outcomes remain uncertain. The stance highlights a readiness to back the components and systems that make quantum devices operate.