- Universal Quantum, a disruptive player in the quantum computing space, announced it raised an oversubscribed £3.6 million seed round
Universal Quantum — a disruptive player in the quantum computing space — announced it has emerged out of stealth and raised an oversubscribed £3.6 million seed round of funding. The investors in the company include Hoxton Ventures (early backers of Deliveroo), Village Global (backed by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos), Propagator VC, Luminous VC, 7percent, and a number of influential individuals.
Now the company is set to develop its groundbreaking new quantum computing approach and compete with the world’s biggest quantum computing companies with backing from highly influential tech investors.
The company — which is a spin-out of the University of Sussex — was founded by quantum computing experts Professor Winfried Hensinger and Dr. Sebastian Weidt in 2018. And the company is intending to build the world’s first large-scale quantum computer with Hensinger as the Chief Scientist & Chairman and Weidt as the Chief Executive Officer.
Universal Quantum distinguishes itself by developing technology-based on trapped ions for calculations using microwave technology like what is used in mobile devices. This removes the need for needing a substantial amount of laser beams.
Key Quotes:
“We are absolutely thrilled to have such high-caliber investors join our vision and being excited about our technology and outstanding team. We’ve done the research, now this investment puts us on an incredibly exciting path to actually building practical quantum computers.”
– Dr Sebastian Weidt, CEO at Universal Quantum
“Quantum computing has the power to change the world for the better. We are taking a small but significant step toward realizing that potential by getting started with the engineering to create practical quantum computers. While it is a major engineering challenge, our technology and approach do not rely on making major physics breakthroughs… We’re assembling the brightest minds to do just that, paving the way for a British start-up to lead the journey to a truly useful and usable one million qubit quantum computer… “Our large-scale quantum computers will one day allow us to tackle the grand global issues of our time, from creating new pharmaceuticals, revolutionizing financial modeling, tackling optimization problems, machine learning even helping to feed the worlds’ population by making fertilizer more efficiently.”
– Professor Winfried Hensinger, Chairman and Chief Scientist at Universal Quantum
“At Hoxton, we’re on the search to back the next big thing… “Quantum computing is where artificial intelligence was back in 2010. We think Universal Quantum’s trapped ion technique is the best approach to deliver on the exponential promises of quantum… Their technology is fully modular, relying on electric field connections rather than optical fibres to link individual modules. This is much faster, and also much simpler as an engineering approach… We think if UQ succeeds, its impact will lead to potential breakthroughs in technology, healthcare, materials, financial services, and other industries. That’s the kind of asymmetric return we invest into.”
-Spokesperson for Hoxton Ventures
“No other company has shown how they can work with millions of ions for a powerful quantum machine without needing millions of lasers, which quickly becomes unfeasible at scale. Universal Quantum execute quantum gates by applying voltages to a microchip, which is a smart and elegant solution to the problem of scaling up… At Village Global, we will always back the best ideas and we are excited supporting this great venture going forward.”
– Spokesperson for Village Global
“When we looked for a quantum computing team to invest in it was very clear that Winfried and Seb not only had the experience to deliver on such a technical challenge but have the vision to do so… This will be a step-change for science, equivalent in impact to the invention of the microprocessor or the internet. It’s just the sort of big idea at 7percent Ventures we love to back.”
– Andrew J Scott, a founding partner at 7percent ventures
“Quantum computing will unlock seismic changes for both this generation and the next. We are delighted to be partnering with two visionary scientists and founders in Prof Winfried Hensinger and Dr Sebastian Weidt in their mission to crack quantum computing at scale. Luminous Ventures exists for investments like this.”
– Lomax Ward of Luminous VC
“The team’s engineering approach to building a scalable quantum computer together with their deep experience makes Universal Quantum uniquely positioned. By operating at much milder temperatures, Universal Quantum’s technology successfully swerves a major stumbling block of their competitors. They are the company closest to achieving quantum computing at the scale and power we need. Their approach utilizing microwave radiation gates has the potential to overcome many of the current obstacles to building a truly scalable quantum computer.”
– A spokesperson for Propagator VC
“While making investments in BioPharma, cybersecurity and fintech, we have been looking for an ambitious team in Quantum Computing with a unique combination of world-leading technologies and highly practical engineering approaches towards truly universal quantum computers. After we spoke with Dr. Sebastian Weidt, watched Prof. Hensinger’s in-depth video talks, and read through all their ground-breaking publications in Nature and Science, we are thrilled that we found the perfect team, who can cross the chasm, taking Quantum Computing from rocket science to everyday engineering solutions. Besides the clear advantage of mild cooling with trapped ions, I believe their sheer focus on using standard semiconductor chip processes and proven modular integration techniques will set this team apart ultimately. Look forward to supporting Universal Quantum to grow big!”
– A spokesperson for FoundersX Ventures
“This University of Sussex spin-out company will see the Greater Brighton area become a new center of gravity in the world’s rapidly growing quantum computing industry… We are very proud of the achievements of Professor Winfried Hensinger and Dr. Sebastian Weidt, and their team, who have long been pushing the boundaries of developments in this area, from publishing the world’s first blueprint for building a large-scale quantum computer in 2017 to pioneering technology which uses microwaves rather than lasers to execute calculations within the quantum computer.”
– Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex
