Quantum-based Companies Make it on XPRIZE, Bessemer Venture Partners’ List of Top 100 Private Deep Tech Companies

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.

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.

Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) is one of the oldest and most established venture capital firms in the world, tracing its roots to 1911 as a private family office created by Henry Phipps Jr. Formally establishing itself as a dedicated venture capital firm in the 1970s and opening a Silicon Valley office in 1975, the firm now manages over $19-20 billion in assets and specializes in early-stage and growth investments across sectors including cloud computing, cybersecurity, fintech, and AI. With a global presence through offices in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Bangalore, and Tel Aviv, BVP has helped scale hundreds of companies, with a portfolio boasting over 150 IPOs, including notable successes such as Shopify, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twilio, and Yelp.

OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research and deployment organization. Its stated mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. The organization builds advanced AI models (e.g. large language models, multimodal systems) and provides them via APIs and consumer products, aiming to balance innovation with safety and governance.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the U.S. government agency driving pioneering research and technological development in both atmospheric flight (aeronautics) and space exploration (astronautics). NASA acts as a research organization, utilizing advanced wind tunnels, supercomputing, and flight test laboratories to advance aircraft aerodynamics, propulsion, and materials, while simultaneously involved in the design, construction, and operation of launch vehicles and spacecraft for deep space exploration. Through its aeronautics research directorate, the agency works to improve the safety, efficiency, and environmental impact of aviation, whereas its space programs focus on developing cutting-edge flight systems, robotic explorers, and human transportation capabilities.

The Lockheed Martin Corporation is a preeminent global aerospace and defense powerhouse, tracing its roots to late 1912 when pioneers Glenn Martin and brothers Allan and Malcolm Lockheed established independent aviation firms. Officially formed in 1995 through the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta, its Aeronautics division researches, designs, and manufactures advanced tactical aircraft, including the F-35 Lightning II, while its Space division builds critical launch vehicles and satellites.

Stanford University is a teaching and research institution dedicated to providing graduate programs in the area of law, medicine, education or business.