As quantum computing races toward practical reality, a new wave of startups is emerging to tackle its immense potential and challenges. From developing cuttin-edge hardware to crafting innovative software solutions, these companies are at the forefront of the quantum revolution. These are the top quantum computing startups poised to shape the future of this transformative technology.
Hottest Quantum Computing Startups to Watch
Every year, new startups pull to the forefront of their industry through exciting innovation and industry-disrupting business models. We’ve rounded up the top quantum computing startups of 2025 that startup-lovers, investors, and aspiring entrepreneurs should follow.
Disclaimer: With so many exciting startups launching and growing worldwide, we aren’t able to cover them all. Furthermore, the startups that are listed below are not officially ranked and are listed in no particular order.
1. Pasqal
- Location: Massy, France
- Founder(s): Georges-Olivier Reymond, Dr. Christophe Jurczak, Prof. Antoine Browaeys, Thierry Lahaye
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series B, $148 Million
- Investors Include: Early Capital Group, Green Sands Equity, Defense Innovation Fund
Pasqal’s team of 25 quantum engineers develops quantum processors for the most powerful quantum computers. This quantum computing startup had its roots in one of France’s most prestigious research universities, where it was part of a team responsible for groundbreaking research into cold atom physics.
2. Strangeworks
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Founder(s): Justin Youens, William Hurley
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series A, $28 Million
- Investors Include: IBM Ventures, RTX Ventures, Hitachi Ventures
Strangeworks has dominated the quantum computing space since it was founded in 2018. With early adopters like Airbnb, Amazon, and Uber using its simple yet powerful data analysis and quantum computing products, it has very quickly grown to include a customer base of more than 100 developers worldwide and 6,800 successfully completed quantum projects.
3. POLARISqb
- Location: Durham, North Carolina
- Founder(s): Dr. Shahar Keinan, William Shipman
- Founded In: 2020
- Funding: Seed, $3.41 Million
- Investors Include: Infinity Medical, OurCrowd, WorldQuant Ventures
POLARISqb is one of the few quantum computing startups venturing into the biotech space. The startup hopes to revolutionize drug manufacturing by combining precision medicine, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. With these three components, Polaris’ technology searches massive online chemical libraries to identify drugs that may be combined to target specific diseases.
4. ORCA Computing
- Location: London, England
- Founder(s): Dr. Richard Murray, Dr. Ian Walmsley, Josh Nunn
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series B, $25.1 Million
- Investors Include: Octopus Ventures, Innovating Capital, Audacia
ORCA is the first startup in the world to develop a quantum computing system based on photonics. Photonics is the physical science of light waves. So, essentially, ORCA has built a computer based on the principle of light energy — interested yet? Us too! The system was built based on quantum memories and allows for the synchronization and storage of quantum operations, which, the startup says, leads to significantly improved performance.
5. Quantum Machines
- Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
- Founder(s): Dr. Itamar Sivan, Dr. Yonatan Cohen, Dr. Nissim Ofek
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Series B, $73 Million
- Investors Include: 2Sky Ventures, Maor Investments, Ripple Impact Investments
Quantum Machines is an Israeli startup that seeks to focus on solving one of the biggest problems in the quantum computing space: how do we harmonize the interplay between software and hardware and still maintain maximum performance? The startup believes they have solved this problem by developing their Quantum Orchestration Platform. According to the startup’s website, the platform brings together a set of incredible capabilities with never-before-seen levels of flexibility and control, which helps expand the reach and results of experiments and research.
6. Phaseshift Technologies
- Location: Toronto, Canada
- Founder(s): Fazal Mahmood, Gurjot Dhaliwal, Abu Anand
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Seed, $775,000
- Investors Include: Draper Associates, Creative Destruction Lab, First Star Ventures
Phaseshift Technologies is a Canadian quantum computing space startup designed to make a difference. The company uses quantum technology, computational chemistry, and machine learning to produce new high-performance alloys. Their technology uses quantum computing to predict the properties of a particular alloy mix and its uses within seconds. Phaseshift’s technology has helped to provide workable solutions for clients within the aerospace, bio-medical, and nuclear industries.
7. Q-CTRL
- Location: New South Wales, Australia
- Founder(s): Dr. Michael Biercuk
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series B, $49.2 Million
- Investors Include: Airbus Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Chestnut Street Ventures
Q-CTRL is focused on developing control solutions for quantum technologies. The company specializes in creating firmware and software to improve the performance and reliability of quantum hardware. Q-CTRL’s products aim to reduce errors and noise in quantum systems, making them more stable and useful for practical applications.
8. QuSecure
- Location: Silicon Valley (San Mateo, California)
- Founder(s): Skip Sanzeri, Dr. Garrison Buss, Dave Krauthamer, Austin Bosarge, Konstantin Vilk, Rebecca Krauthamer
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Accelerator, $5.02 Million
- Investors Include: Plug and Play Tech Center, Kickstart Accelerator, Band of Angels
QuSecure is a cybersecurity startup that develops post-quantum cryptography solutions. The company offers products designed to protect organizations against current and future quantum computing threats to data security. QuSecure’s platform helps businesses transition to quantum-resistant encryption methods to safeguard sensitive information.
9. Riverlane
- Location: Cambridge, England
- Founder(s): Dr. Stephen Brierley
- Founded In: 2016
- Funding: Series C, $120 Million
- Investors Include: Planet First Partners, Tech Nation Group, ETF Partners
Riverlane is a quantum software company that builds operating systems for quantum computers. The company focuses on creating software that bridges the gap between quantum hardware and applications. Riverlane’s goal is to accelerate the development of useful quantum computers by providing the necessary software infrastructure.
10. Exohood Labs
- Location: London, England
- Founder(s): Jerzy Bogaczow
- Founded In: 2020
- Funding: Series Unknown, $112 Million
- Investors Include: Livsquare Capital
Exohood Labs focuses on quantum computing and blockchain technology integration. The company aims to develop quantum-resistant blockchain solutions and explore quantum algorithms for cryptography. Exohood Labs creates secure and scalable distributed systems that can withstand potential threats from future quantum computers.
