Q-Factor, a neutral atom quantum computing company, announced $24 million in seed funding to advance its effort to build a million-qubit quantum computer. The round was led by NFX and TPY Capital, with participation from Intel Capital, Korea Investment Partners, Deep33, the Matias family, and a grant from the Israel Innovation Authority. The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology and the Weizmann Institute of Science are also shareholders.
Founded by four physicists from the Weizmann Institute and Technion, Q-Factor is focused on overcoming the key limitation in quantum computing: scale. While current systems across different modalities have reached only a few thousand qubits, meaningful commercial applications are expected to require hundreds of thousands to millions of qubits.
The company is developing a neutral-atom-based approach that leverages atoms that can hold quantum information for extended periods and can be controlled using light, without requiring complex wiring or extreme cooling. Q-Factor’s founders identified architectural bottlenecks in existing systems and designed a new framework intended to enable continuous scalability toward million-qubit systems.
The founding team includes Prof. Nir Davidson, a leading expert in ultracold atoms and former dean of physics at the Weizmann Institute, Prof. Ofer Firstenberg, a specialist in quantum optics and Rydberg atoms, Prof. Yoav Sagi, an authority in neutral-atom manipulation, and Dr. Guy Raz, a physicist with extensive experience scaling deep tech ventures. Their combined expertise spans ultracold atoms, atomic interactions, atom transport, and advanced laser systems.
Q-Factor aims to establish a scaling trajectory for quantum computing similar to Moore’s Law in classical computing, enabling steady growth from thousands to millions of qubits.
KEY QUOTES:
“The quantum computing industry needs a revolution, not an evolution. Current systems are too small to deliver on the promise of quantum computing, and incremental improvements alone aren’t going to close that gap. We’ve developed an architecture designed for continuous scalability, a Moore’s Law-like trajectory that can take neutral atom systems from thousands of qubits to millions and beyond.”
Prof. Ofer Firstenberg, Co-Founder And Chief Scientist, Q-Factor
“It’s rare to find a team with this combination of scientific authority and commercial instinct. Four Talpiot graduates with hundreds of published papers in the fields directly underlying this technology, and real experience bringing deep science to market. They are uniquely positioned to execute on one of the most ambitious goals in quantum computing.”
Gigi Levy-Weiss, Partner, NFX
“Neutral atoms are emerging as the leading modality for scalable quantum computing, and Q-Factor is entering the race with a distinct architectural advantage. TPY has been investing in quantum computing for seven years and have evaluated dozens of companies across modalities and geographies. What the Q-Factor team achieved stood out immediately. Their architectural approach to scale made this a clear must-do for us.”
Dekel Persi, Partner, TPY Capital
“Q-Factor’s founding team combines world-class scientific depth with a clear-eyed understanding of what it will take to build a commercially viable quantum computer. They’ve watched the field evolve, learned from the challenges others have encountered, and assembled the right expertise to tackle the hardest remaining problem in quantum computing: scale.”
Lisa Cohen, Investment Director, Intel Capital
