Deep tech is often seen as a men's world. Jade Robinson (in the middle) proves otherwise. As co-founder of Linq Photonics, she's making quantum computing scalable through photonic control systems. Discover which resources help her hold her ground in a male-dominated field.
Jade Robinson always knew she wanted to build something of her own. "Growing up watching my father start and run his own business taught me what ownership really means, not just over a company, but over your time and path in life," she shares. Today, she is co-founder of Linq Photonics, a startup that makes quantum computing scalable through ultra-precise, integrated photonic control systems. She found her co-founding team through the UnternehmerTUM Incubator (formerly XPLORE), where she was matched with her current team. In 2025, she won the Women Startup Award and in 2026, she qualified for the Top 3 in the INNOSpace Masters ESA BIC challenge (winner announced in Nov), as well as the top 8 of the BayStartup Phase 3 Business plan competition (winner announced end of July).
Challenges in navigating a male-dominated industry
Building a deep-tech company means daily trade-offs. For Jade, one constant challenge is staying focused on what moves the business forward, not just on what feels exciting in the moment. As a woman in a field still dominated by men, she also faces an extra challenge: "The industry is still heavily male-dominated, and on top of that, without the deep science knowledge to back me up, it can be difficult to command a presence in some situations." But rather than seeing this as a setback, Jade turned it into a deliberate division of roles within her team, knowing exactly when to lead a conversation herself and when to bring in a co-founder with the technical depth to back it up.
Resources that made the difference
Asked which resources helped her hold her ground in a male-dominated industry, Jade first turns to her personal strengths, such as:
- her technical background as a chemical engineer,
- her experience in curiosity- and problem-solving-driven roles, which taught her to find answers in the public domain.
But just as important, she says, is the environment she builds, surrounding herself with people and structures that help her further develop her skills. For that, she names:
- her co-founders,
- mentors,
- the programs
- and initiatives she found at UnternehmerTUM.
The first, and most immediate, are her co-founders: "I know I can trust and lean on my co-founders, they help me move through the industry with ease," she explains. Beyond her own team, she mentions mentors who opened doors along the way through valuable introductions. It shows how much difference the right support can make for women navigating deep tech.
Founderteam © Linq photonics
Team © Linq photonics
UnternehmerTUM Incubator and Women Startup Award as resources
To deepen her business know-how, Jade names programs and initiatives from UnternehmerTUM:
UnternehmerTUM Incubator (formerly XPLORE) and the Women Startup Award. Besides matching her with her co-founders, the UnternehmerTUM Incubator gave her the tools to turn ambition into action: "Participating in incubators like XPLORE by UnternehmerTUM helped to create a mindset of identifying things that are important, setting actionable tasks weekly to drive things forward, and measuring results."
The other resource, the Women Startup Award, brought coaching and access to a wider network, including an introduction to investors, which strengthened the relationship ahead of a potential future funding round. Also, for Jade, as the winner, the award carried an even more personal meaning. She found recognition and the feeling of being on the right track: "Receiving the Women Startup Award was a huge confidence boost, both personally and at a critical stage of our journey."
Women have a place in deep tech
- Jade Robinson
Jade's path shows what's possible when a founder combines a clear vision with the right people and the right support around her. Her story is proof that women don't just have a place in deep tech, they can lead it. As she puts it herself: "Building a deep-tech startup involves many challenges, and the recognition [from the award] reinforced that we're solving an exciting problem, and that women have a place in deep tech."
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