10 Quantum Computing Groups Known for Collaborating With Startups

The University of Waterloo, situated in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, is a publicly funded research university.

The Institute for Quantum Computing is a research centre at the University of Waterloo specializing in quantum information science and technology. It focuses on advancing quantum computing, communication, materials, sensors, and devices through interdisciplinary research, education, and innovation. IQC collaborates globally and supports startups, driving scientific and commercial impact in quantum technologies.

evolutionQ is a cybersecurity firm founded in 2015 that provides quantum-safe software and risk management strategies to defend infrastructure against emerging quantum computer threats. Its aerospace relevance involves securing critical satellite communication networks, evolutionQ having received funding from the Canadian Space Agency to advance satellite based secure quantum key distribution technologies.

SandboxAQ is an enterprise company merging AI and quantum physics founded in 2016 at Alphabet and launched independently in 2022. It developed AQNav, a satellite free navigation platform used by the U.S. Air Force, Boeing, and Airbus that uses quantum sensors to guide aircraft via Earth's magnetic field without relying on vulnerable GPS.

The Delft University of Technology, situated in Delft, Netherlands, is the oldest and largest public technical university in the country. It was established in 1842. In 2022, it holds a position within the top 10 engineering and technology universities globally, as per the QS World University Rankings.

At QuTech, researchers work on a radically new technology with world-changing potential. Their mission: to develop scalable prototypes of a quantum computer and an inherently safe quantum internet, based on the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics.

Delft Circuits provide hardware for the quantum computing industry.

Qblox specializes in advancing quantum technology through scalable control electronics crucial for quantum computing. They are known for their modular quantum control stacks, which enable efficient qubit control and readout for diverse applications. The company is based in the Netherlands and is a spin-off of QuTech.

Orange QS delivers test equipment to create better quantum chips

QuantWare develops and sells quantum hardware including superconducting QPUs and attenuators.

The University of Bristol, situated in Bristol, England, is a red brick research university that belongs to the Russell Group. It obtained its royal charter in 1909, but its origins can be traced back to a Merchant Venturers' school established in 1595 and University College, Bristol, which was founded in 1876.

With their expert cross-disciplinary team, including founders of the field, they have expertise in all major areas of theoretical quantum information science and in experiment. They also aim to foster partnerships with the private sector and provide teaching and training for the future generation of quantum scientists and engineers and the prototypes of tomorrow.

Nu Quantum develops Entanglement Fabric and Quantum Networking Units to interconnect discrete processing cores. Founded in 2018 as a Cambridge University spinout, the company's hardware enables secure quantum networks suitable for aerospace, aviation, and satellite telecommunications, facilitating distributed quantum computing.

Riverlane is developing the Error Correction Stack that unlocks useful quantum computing

PsiQuantum is developing a utility scale fault tolerant quantum computer utilizing photonic qubits and standard semiconductor manufacturing processes. Founded in 2015, the company collaborates with aerospace partners like Airbus and Lockheed Martin on algorithms for fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, and impact modeling.

Oxford stands as a hub for education, instruction, and scholarly exploration, holding the distinction of being the oldest university in the English-speaking realm.

QuantrolOx develops automated machine learning based control software for quantum technologies to tune, stabilize, and optimize qubits. QuantrolOx’s software is technology agnostic and applicable to all types of quantum technologies, and their goal is to maximize quantum computer uptime and make their hardware more accessible.

QuSecure specializes in quantum-resilient cybersecurity, focusing on protecting data and communications from threats posed by quantum computing and AI. It develops solutions like QuProtect™ to help industries such as finance, critical infrastructure, and government achieve quantum-safe security without major system changes. The company emphasizes standards-based, compliant, and easily deployable cryptographic controls to address evolving security challenges.

Quantum Motion is a quantum computing company focused on developing scalable quantum computing technologies. They aim to create quantum computing architectures using a silicon-based platform with a CMOS-compatible process, leveraging established semiconductor fabrication techniques to achieve practicality and scalability.

Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) is a company that specializes in quantum computing technology aimed at addressing challenges like climate change and new drug discoveries. They offer Quantum Computing as-a-Service (QCaaS), making quantum computing accessible for breakthrough discoveries. OQC's core technology, the Coaxmon, ensures scalability and high-fidelity operation times in their superconducting quantum processors.

The Center for Quantum Devices (QDev) at the University of Copenhagen, established in 2012, conducts research on quantum phenomena in hybrid nanostructures, including semiconductors, superconductors, and ferromagnetic materials. The center focuses on the development of solid-state qubits for future quantum computers and is part of the Condensed Matter Physics group at the Niels Bohr Institute.

Microsoft engages in the creation and licensing of software for both consumer and enterprise use. The company is renowned for its development of Windows operating systems and the Office suite designed for productivity. Microsoft's structure encompasses three major segments of roughly equal size: productivity and business processes, which encompasses legacy Microsoft Office, cloud-based Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Skype, LinkedIn, and Dynamics; the intelligence cloud, which includes offerings like Azure, Windows Server OS, and SQL Server; and more personal computing, which covers Windows Client, Xbox, Bing search, display advertising, and a range of Surface laptops, tablets, and desktops.

IQM Finland builds scalable hardware for universal quantum computers, focusing on superconducting technology.

SeeQC is developing a new approach to making quantum computing useful, via fully Digital Quantum Computing.

The University of New South Wales, often referred to as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university situated in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established on July 1, 1949. It stands as one of the original members of the Group of Eight, a consortium of research-focused Australian universities. UNSW, founded in 1949, holds the status of a research-focused university.

SQC aims to commercialise the research produced from Australia Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology. They envision a 10-qubit quantum integrated circuit prototype in silicon by 2023.

Quintessence Labs originating from quantum technology research at The Australian National University, specializes in developing advanced encryption solutions to tackle the security challenges posed by quantum computing to current encryption methods.

Q-CTRL is a company that specializes in quantum technology, particularly through the development of quantum control infrastructure software. The company's software is designed to improve the performance of quantum hardware by reducing and controlling errors in qubits, which are the basic units of quantum information.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology is focused on delivering quantum research to develop full-scale quantum systems – encompassing ultra-fast quantum computation, secure quantum communication and distributed quantum information processing. With Australian Research Council funding extended through to 2025, the Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC²T) will build on its fundamental advances in quantum information research in silicon, optical and networking platforms to develop full-scale quantum systems. Their mission is to deliver quantum processors able to run error corrected algorithms and transfer information across networks with absolute security.

University of Innsbruck stands as the primary educational and research hub in western Austria. It holds the status of being the state university for the Austrian federal regions of Tyrol and Vorarlberg.

The Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) Vienna is part of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and works in close connection with universities in Austria and abroad. It is primarily focused on theoretical and experimental research in quantum physics, with an emphasis on understanding the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics and their implications for information science.

Xanadu is a Canadian photonic quantum computing company founded in 2016 that is building fault tolerant systems utilizing light. The company collaborates with defense and hardware partners like AMD and Lockheed Martin to accelerate computational fluid dynamics simulations and train an aerospace engineering workforce.

The University of Basel, located in Basel, Switzerland, is the country's oldest university, established on April 4, 1460. It holds a place among Switzerland's top higher education institutions and is among the world's oldest universities.

ID Quantique is a global company focused in quantum cryptography and sensing founded in 2001 as a spin-off from the University of Geneva. The company provides ECSS certified quantum random number generators and opto-pyrotechnic controls for launchers like Ariane 6. It was acquired by IonQ in May 2025.

The University of Maryland, College Park, situated in Maryland, is a public research university. Established in 1856, it holds the position of being the main campus of the University System of Maryland. It also holds the distinction of being the biggest university in both the state and the Washington metropolitan area.

The Joint Quantum Institute is a research partnership between University of Maryland (UMD) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with the support and participation of the Laboratory for Physical Sciences. Created in 2006 to pursue theoretical and experimental studies of quantum physics in the context of information science and technology, JQI is located on UMD's College Park campus.

IonQ is a developer in trapped ion quantum computing founded in 2015 that actively applies its technology to the aerospace and defense sectors. The company empowers satellite-based quantum networks and quantum enabled drones to improve positioning, navigation, and timing resilience in GPS denied environments, and collaborates with industry leaders like Airbus to optimize aircraft loading.

Zapata develops quantum software and algorithms for business. They offer a suite of generative AI solutions for enriching analytics and customizing large language models.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, functions as a privately funded research university. It was founded in 1861 and has played a crucial part in advancing various fields of modern technology and science.

IBM is an iconic technology pioneer founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company and officially renamed International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. Beyond foundational computing, IBM possesses a deep legacy in aerospace and defense from building the guidance computers and Instrument Unit for NASA's historic Apollo missions to partnering with Airbus on CIMON, the first AI assistant on the ISS.

Infleqtion, founded in 2007 at the University of Colorado Boulder, specializes in neutral atom quantum technology for the aerospace and defense sectors. The company is heavily involved in orbital infrastructure, notably supplying atomic clocks and contributing quantum sensors to NASA's Cold Atom Lab and the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder mission to enhance space navigation, timing, and Earth observation capabilities.

The MIT Center for Quantum Engineering is dedicated to the academic pursuit and practice of quantum science and engineering to accelerate the practical application of quantum technologies. Their objectives are: -Define the emerging discipline of quantum engineering. -Educate and train tomorrow's quantum workforce. -Partner with academia, government, and industry. -Create a quantum ecosystem that advances quantum science and technology development.