Paul Schroeter

Senior Advisor

Paul has a record of transformational leadership in organizations ranging from pre-product startups to $500 million public companies. As COO of ColdQuanta — which develops quantum computers and builds products for ultra-cold-atom quantum technology applications such as cold atom experimentation, quantum simulation, quantum information processing, atomic clocks, RF signal detection, and inertial sensing — Paul led the R&D, engineering, operations, and finance teams, introducing rigorous road mapping and forecasting processes. He also managed all legal activities for the company, including closing two rounds of financing and negotiating IP licensing agreements with universities. Previously Paul worked in energy technology, heading R&D, engineering, and operations as COO at Sielo/Terralux, a leader in LED lighting and IoT solutions, and at Ampulse Corporation, an innovative public-private solar technology partnership with offices at NREL and ORNL.

Before that, as COO at Neophotonics/Lightwave, a leading designer and manufacturer of optical components, modules, and subsystems, Paul headed R&D, engineering, and operations, both domestic and international, growing the company from a 25-person materials research startup to an industry leader with over 2,300 employees in the US and China, and more than $100 million in annual revenue, recognized for technical excellence, on-time delivery of complex integrated optical components, and outstanding customer service. Earlier, Paul was Senior Vice President of Operations and Engineering at Read-Rite Corp. He was brought in for a turnaround team that transformed Read-Rite from a bankrupt small company with 250 employees and $5 million in sales into the largest independent supplier of thin-film computer disk heads with industry-changing technology. Under Paul’s technical leadership and management of engineering and operations, Read-Rite grew to 10,000 employees internationally with $500 million in revenue. As Engineering Manager at Advanced Micro Devices, Paul built three high-volume semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities early in his career, starting from initial planning and setup through daily operations, and transferring processes from R&D into production. Paul received his BS in Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana.