ZuriQ secures CHF 3.8 million

Quantum computing: ZuriQ combines electric and magnetic fields to solve scaling problems - and receives CHF 3.8 million in seed funding.

Zurich, January 2025 - Zurich-based quantum computing startup ZuriQ has successfully completed a financing round and raised 3.8 million Swiss francs. The company plans to use the capital to bring a novel technology for scalable quantum systems to market.

Investors support innovative approach

The seed financing round was led by Founderful, with participation from SquareOne, First Momentum Ventures, OnSight Ventures and QAI Ventures. ZuriQ stands out with a breakthrough architecture that combines electric and magnetic fields to enable the movement of ions in all spatial directions. This technology could solve the scaling problem faced by existing trapped-ion systems.

The potential for quantum computing is enormous and we are convinced that ZuriQ's approach will make an important contribution to scaling this technology

Pascal Mathis, Partner at Founderful

Technology with origins at ETH Zurich

ZuriQ was founded by Pavel Hrmo, Tobias Sägesser and Shreyans Jain, who developed their technology in the ETH labs of Prof. Home. Their approach is based on a microstructured trap in a superconducting magnet. After initial challenges, including months of testing and failures, the breakthrough was finally achieved. The results were published in the journal Nature.

We had to overcome setbacks again and again, but our focus was always on Plan A. This perseverance paid off

Pavel Hrmo, CEO ZuriQ

Market potential and next steps

ZuriQ aims to introduce a system with a reconfigurable 2D ion array and dozens of qubits later this year. In the long term, the company plans to provide thousands of qubits to support industrial applications such as pharmaceutical research, chemical process optimization and financial portfolio management.

The startup sees itself as a pioneer for the next generation of quantum systems that are not only scalable but also compatible with existing control technologies. "The field for a few qubit systems is saturated. Our focus is on long-term scalability and becoming the world's leading provider of quantum computing solutions," says Hrmo.

ZuriQ also sees the further development of its systems as a strategic goal for Switzerland. In addition to direct system sales, the company plans to offer cloud access to its quantum computers. The focus is on fields of application that require a high level of data confidentiality, such as the financial and pharmaceutical industries.