In 2025, Europe’s quantum technology sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, propelled by substantial venture capital investments and robust government support. In 2024, global deal value in quantum computing surpassed €1 billion for the first time, according to PitchBook data. This reflects a significant surge in investor confidence,
However, this rapid expansion has illuminated a critical challenge: a significant talent gap. According to a McKinsey report, the demand for quantum computing experts outpaces the number of qualified graduates by a factor of three, underscoring the need for enhanced educational initiatives and workforce development.
Despite this talent shortage, substantial funding and government commitments are poised to drive market growth. For instance, Paris-based Quantonation Ventures launched a second fund to back early-stage startups developing quantum technologies. Similarly, Scientifica VC introduced a €200 million fund to support quantum computing and AI startups, further bolstering the ecosystem.
The combination of robust venture capital funding, government initiatives, and a burgeoning startup ecosystem positions Europe as a formidable player in the global quantum technology arena. As we delve into the most promising quantum startups in Europe and the UK in 2025, it becomes evident that the region is not only keeping pace with global developments but is also poised to lead in certain aspects of quantum innovation.
Quantinuum (UK)
Founder/s: Ilyas Khan
Founded year: 2021
Total funding: $647M
Cambridge-based Quantinuum, a quantum computing company advances quantum computers and advanced software solutions, driving breakthroughs in materials discovery, cybersecurity, and next-gen quantum AI. It helps organisations explore how to engineer and scale quantum capabilities to help solve some of the world’s most challenging problems, from designing and manufacturing hydrogen cell batteries for transportation to developing materials to sequester carbon safely from the atmosphere to support the world’s energy transition.
The quantum computing company closed $300 million in funding last year. JPMorgan Chase led the investment alongside participation from Honeywell, Tokyo-based industrial giant Mitsui & Co., and biotechnology company Amgen. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the path towards achieving universal fault-tolerant quantum computers, while also extending its software offering to enhance commercial applicability.
Alice & Bob (France)
Founder/s: Dr. Théau Peronnin, Dr. Raphaël Lescanne
Founded year: 2020
Total funding: $150M
Alice & Bob is a Paris-based quantum computing startup specialising in error-corrected superconducting qubits. Their core innovation is the cat qubit, a hardware-based approach designed to drastically reduce quantum errors, a major hurdle in building practical quantum computers. By improving qubit stability, Alice & Bob aims to accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers, making quantum computing more viable for real-world applications.
Recently, the startup raised €100 million in Series B funding from Future French Champions (FFC), AVP (AXA Venture Partners), and Bpifrance. Also, existing investors Elaia Partners, Breega, and Supernova Invest, returned for the Series B round, joined by EIC (European Innovation Council) backed this round. The funding will accelerate their path to build the world’s first error-corrected quantum computer by 2030.
Algorithmiq (Finland)
Founder/s: Boris Sokolov, Guillermo Garcia-Perez, Matteo Rossi, Sabrina Maniscalco
Founded year: 2020
Total funding: $19.1M
Algorithmiq is a quantum startup that develops advanced quantum algorithms to solve complex problems in life sciences. The company is on a mission to revolutionise the life science industry by exploring the potential of quantum technology to solve currently inaccessible problems. Combining expertise in quantum information, complex systems and computational physics to develop algorithms, it is able to contribute to molecular structure prediction, drug development and materials design.
In 2023, Algorithmiq secured $15 million in Series A funding from Inventure VC, Tesi, Presidio Ventures,Thames Trust, and existing investors. It announced that the funds will be used to pursue their proof-of-concept work with pharmaceutical companies globally, dramatically reducing the time and cost of drug discovery and development.
Pasqal (France)
Founder/s: Georges-Olivier Reymond, Christophe Jurczak, Dr. Alain Aspect, Dr. Antoine Browaeys, Dr. Thierry Lahay
Founded year: 2019
Total funding: $140M
The Parisian startup Pasqal develops neutral atom-based quantum processors to tackle real-world computational challenges. Unlike superconducting or trapped-ion qubits, Pasqal uses arrays of laser-trapped neutral atoms to create scalable and highly connected quantum systems, enabling more efficient problem-solving in fields like finance, chemistry, and machine learning. Their approach focuses on analog and digital quantum computing, with a roadmap toward 1,000-qubit fault-tolerant systems by 2026.
In 2023, Pasqal raised €100 million in a Series B funding round, making it one of Europe’s largest quantum investments. The round was led by Temasek, with new investors including the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Wa’ed Ventures, and Bpifrance. Existing backers Quantonation, the Defense Innovation Fund, Daphni, and Eni Next also participated to help Pasqal scale their 1,000-qubit fault-tolerant systems by 2026.
Riverlane (UK)
Founder/s: Steve Brierley
Founded year: 2016
Total funding: $131M
UK-based Riverlane works with the mission of making quantum computing useful. The company has built the world’s largest dedicated quantum error correction team with close to a hundred interdisciplinary experts working on their core product, Deltaflow. Applicable to quantum computers using all major qubit types, Deltaflow comprises proprietary QEC chips, hardware, and software technologies working in unison to correct billions of errors per second. Deltaflow is claimed to perform trillions of error-free quantum operations.
Last year, Riverlane snapped $75 million in Series C funding led by Planet First Partners with participation from ETF Partners and EDBI. Existing investors Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), Amadeus Capital Partners, the UK’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), and HPC leader Altair. The funding will enable the company to expand operations and achieve one million error-free quantum computer operations by 2026.
planqc (Germany)
Founder/s: Alexander Glätzle, Sebastian Blatt, Johannes Zeiher, Lukas Reichsöllner, Ann-Kristin Achleitner, Markus Wagner.
Founded year: 2022
Total funding: $61.6M
planqc is a German quantum computing startup developing neutral-atom quantum processors using technology pioneered at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics. Their approach leverages laser-controlled strontium atoms as qubits, offering high scalability, long coherence times, and precise control for advanced quantum computing applications.
Last year, planqc snapped €50 million in Series A funding. The European Family Office CATRON Holding and the DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) led the round. Additional financial support was provided by Bayern Kapital, the Max-Planck Foundation, further private investors, and existing investors UVC and Speedinvest.
Kvantify (Denmark)
Founder/s: Hans Henrik Knudsen, Nikolaj Zinner, Allan Grønlund
Founded year: 2022
Total funding: $20.9M
Kvantify leverages quantum and high-performance computing to create revolutionising solutions for complex scientific and industrial challenges. Its mission is to make quantum computing technology widely accessible, and a valuable tool for businesses worldwide. Their primary goal is to accelerate drug discovery by enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of early-stage research
In 2024, Kvantify secured €10 million in seed funding to advance its quantum-ready drug discovery platform. The round was led by Danish VC Dreamcraft together with biotech investor Lundbeckfonden BioCapital and the private investment company 2degrees. Other notable investors include international sector-focused tech investor Redstone VC, Danish lead quantum VC 2xN as well as EIFO.
Ephos (Italy)
Founder/s: Andrea Rocchetto
Founded year: 2022
Total funding: $9M
Italian startup Ephos specialises in the design and production of glass-based quantum photonic chips. These innovative chips utilise light instead of electricity for data transfer, offering significant advantages in speed and energy efficiency over traditional silicon-based chips. By employing glass as the base material, Ephos reduces signal loss and enables denser connections, which is crucial for applications in quantum computing and AI.
In September 2024, Ephos announced an $8.5 million seed funding round to expand their operations. The funding was led by venture capital firms including Starlight Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Exor Ventures, 2100 Ventures, and Unruly Capital, along with several angel investors. Additionally, it received a grant of €450K from NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator, highlighting their strategic importance in defence-related quantum technologies.
QphoX (Netherlands)
Founder/s: Simon Gröblacher, Frederick Hijazi, and others.
Founded year: 2021
Total funding: $13.8M
A Dutch quantum computing startup based in Delft, QphoX is pioneering the development of a quantum modem device, aiming to connect quantum computers across a quantum network. This technology is envisioned to form the backbone of the future quantum internet, facilitating seamless communication between quantum systems.
Last year, QphoX secured €8 million funding round led by QDNL Participations, with participation from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund and existing investors such as Quantonation, Speedinvest, High-Tech Gründerfonds, and Delft Enterprises. This investment is intended to accelerate the commercialisation of QphoX’s quantum modem and advance the realisation of the quantum internet.
Arctic Instruments (Finland)
Founder/s: Mário Ribeiro, Visa Vesterinen, Joonas Govenius
Founded year: 2024
Total funding: $2.6M
A spinout from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Arctic Instruments specialises in developing superconducting microwave amplifiers essential for scaling quantum computers. Their flagship product, the AI-TWPA-C, is a near-quantum-limited amplifier designed for high-fidelity qubit readout in the C-band (4-8 GHz) frequency range. This technology minimises noise to the theoretical limit, ensuring accurate qubit state measurements, which is crucial for the development of large-scale quantum computers.
In December 2024, Arctic Instruments secured €2.35 million in funding led by Lifeline Ventures. This investment aims to advance the research, development, and commercialisation of their superconducting microwave amplifier technology, enabling the consistent and scalable production necessary for accurate qubit state readout in large-scale quantum computers.
