Insider Brief

• Firgun Ventures has made its first Australian investment by backing Silicon Quantum Computing, expanding its portfolio of early-stage quantum companies and signaling continued investor interest in silicon-based quantum technologies.
• Silicon Quantum Computing says it can manufacture quantum chips with atomic-scale precision and rapidly design, produce and test new chips through its vertically integrated approach to quantum hardware development.
• Founded in 2017 by Michelle Simmons, SQC counts the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, UNSW and Telstra among its investors and is one of 11 companies to advance to Stage B of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.
• Photo by WikiImages on Pixabay

PRESS RELEASE —  Firgun Ventures, a London-based, global quantum-focused venture capital firm specializing in early growth-stage quantum technology, today announced its first Australian investment. Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC), a global silicon modality leader, widely viewed as one of the most scalable approaches to quantum computing, joins the portfolio. The company’s existing investors include Australia’s National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC), The University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Telstra, among others. 

SQC is the only company in the world capable of manufacturing quantum chips with atomic (0.13 nanometer) precision while delivering quantum-enhanced AI products to enterprises and governments today. As a full-stack company with in-house QPU manufacturing, SQC can design, produce and test new quantum chips in under one week: an execution speed that sets the company apart in the global race to commercial-scale quantum computing. 

Zeynep Koruturk, co-founder of Firgun Ventures, said: “Scaling quantum systems is key to unlocking technologies that will solve some of the world’s most complex challenges. Firgun is proud to support SQC, a company at the forefront of silicon-based quantum computing with world-class semiconductor manufacturing capability, which we believe provides a clear pathway to fault-tolerant, commercial-scale systems.” 

Michelle Simmons, Founder & CEO of Silicon Quantum Computing, added: “SQC was built with an absolute commitment to materials purity and precision engineering, precisely what is required to deliver commercial scale quantum computing. Firgun’s investment accelerates our world-leading manufacturing capability and the continued deployment of our commercial products, Watermelon™ and Quantum Twins™, already in the hands of customers today.” 

SQC was founded in 2017 by Simmons, the globally recognised pioneer of atomic electronics, and is chaired by Simon Segars, the former CEO of Arm Holdings. SQC employs over 100 people across Australia, Europe and the US, and is one of the 11 companies that have successfully advanced to stage B of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. 

Firgun Ventures’ investment, made via a SAFE note, adds SQC to its portfolio of quantum technology companies. Prior investments of Firgun Ventures include Photonic Inc (Canada), Quantum Elements (USA), and Quantum Motion (UK) and Oxford Quantum Circuits (UK).