Our Quantum Future: Risks and Opportunities for the Black community
Quantum computing is coming fast and it's going to reshape cybersecurity, national security, and the startup economy within the next few years. This event brings the East Bay Black community together to understand both the risks (from crypto vulnerabilities to data security) and the opportunities (jobs, startups, investing) that quantum is creating.
Join the Berkeley Gateway Accelerator along with LetPoint Partners and 1stFridays for a morning of keynote talks, panels, and hands-on breakout conversations with founders, investors, and researchers shaping the Berkeley Quantum Corridor.
Come join the conversation. Breakfast on us.
Date & Time:
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Program: 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Location:
Berkeley Gateway Accelerator (BGA) HQ
Agenda:
8:30-9:00 am Doors open & breakfast
9:00-9:20 am Welcome Intro
9:20-10 am Keynote and Q&A from Ben Bartlett
10am-10:30 am Panel 1: Our Quantum Future
Moderated by Jay Ward (Let Point Partners & Law Office of Jay Ward) & Guest Speaker, Claire Cramer
10:30-11 am Panel 2: Investing in technology startups (30 min)
Moderated by Troy Foster (Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Practice, Ashurst Perkins Coie)
11-11:20 am The Bay Area's Quantum Ecosystem, Presented by Yelda Bartlett
11:20-11:45 am Panel 3: BGA & the Berkeley Quantum Corridor
Moderated by Matt Rappaport (General Partner at Berkeley Gateway Accelerator, Co-Founder UC Berkeley Deep Tech Innovation Lab) & Nirav Bisarya (Partner & Strategic Advisor at Berkeley Gateway Accelerator, Founder & Managing Partner at TREC Ventures)
11:45-12:15 am Breakout sessions
12:15 Wrap-up & close
Presented by:
LetPoint Partners is a venture catalyst firm guiding founders through their first rounds of angel investment. Working as fractional CFO, COO, and General Counsel, they help founding teams build what investors expect to see before a first meeting: a clear business plan, sound financial models, a sharp pitch, and a mapped path from angels to venture capital. The result is faster time to market and a startup positioned to raise.
1st Fridays has connected urban professionals through premier networking events for 25+ years, serving the Bay Area, attracting up to 1,000 attendees monthly, and building a trusted, nationally recognized community.
Recommended pre-reads:
“Safeguarding cryptocurrency by disclosing quantum vulnerabilities responsibly” (Google white paper) [Google summary statement on how crypto’s security is vulnerable to quantum breaches in the near future.]
“Google Finds Quantum Computers Could Break Bitcoin Sooner Than Expected” (Forbes article) [Article explains how the crypto system isn’t prepared to withstand quantum attacks.]
“Quantum frontiers may be closer than they appear” (Google article) [Google argues that post quantum security standards must be in place by 2029.]
“The Coming Quantum National Security Crisis” (Foreign Affairs article) [Article describes national security risks arising from foreign powers accessing US citizen and security information via quantum computing power.]
"The Bay Area's Quantum Ecosystem: Building and Sustaining Global Leadership" (Yelda Bartlett) [The Bay Area leads the world in quantum assets but lacks the regional organization to turn them into jobs and companies, and the report lays out how to build it.]
“Bit by Qubit: Global Quantum Computing Funding Hits New Records and Is Accelerating” (PitchBook report)