Although still an emerging technology, quantum technologies have increasingly attracted VCs’ attention in recent years, with quantum computing in particular promising to resolve once-impossible business challenges.
Thanks to more funding and a number of tech breakthroughs from high-profile companies like Google, quantum is now coming into the mainstream — causing startups in the space to worry they could face a talent shortage as the sector grows faster than the pool of experts available.
As with many other deeptech sectors, quantum is low on women. Research from specialised recruitment firm Quantum Futures shows that only one in 54 applicants for quantum roles are female, while 80% of quantum companies do not have a senior female figure.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any promising female leaders in the field. Based on our own reporting as well as feedback from industry experts, Sifted listed the female founders in quantum that should be on your radar.
Brigitte Leridon — Pioniq Technologies
HQ: Paris, France
For nearly 30 years Leridon has been a researcher at France’s national centre for scientific research (CNRS). This is where, a few years ago, she discovered a material with exceptional quantum properties for energy storage.
She cofounded Pioniq in 2023 to build next-generation batteries based on the technology, which are free from nickel, lithium and cobalt. The company is still in the research and development (R&D) phase but says the technology is set to perform better than conventional batteries with a smaller environmental footprint.
Carmen Palacios-Berraquero — Nu Quantum
HQ: Cambridge, UK
After completing a PhD in quantum information at the University of Cambridge, Palacios-Berraquero founded Nu Quantum in 2018, a startup building technology that allows quantum computers to network with one another to increase their computational power. The company has raised over £10m (€11.5m) to date and recently saw former IBM quantum computing lead Robert Sutor join the board of directors.
Eleni Diamanti — Welinq
HQ: Paris, France
A Stanford alum and researcher specialising in quantum technologies at France’s CNRS, Diamanti cofounded Welinq in 2022. She is a scientific advisor to the startup, which builds infrastructure components for quantum data centres, such as quantum memory, connectivity and networking technologies.
Ingrid Romijn — Q*Bird
HQ: Delft, The Netherlands
Q*Bird focuses on quantum communications — a fast-growing sector that leverages quantum properties to generate unhackable cryptographic protocols to protect communications containing sensitive data. The technology, called quantum key distribution (QKD), is particularly relevant for governments and businesses in fields like healthcare and finance. Q*Bird, which develops hardware and software for QKD, was cofounded in 2022 by Romijn and raised a €2.5m seed round in 2024.
Maud Vinet — Quobly
HQ: Grenoble, France
With €19m in seed funding secured in 2024, Quobly is one of the youngest startups currently developing quantum processors to power quantum computers. The company says it can scale its processors, which are based on silicon components, using existing semiconductor fabrication processes. Vinet cofounded the company in 2022 after working at IBM and at French research institute CEA-Leti, which specialises in microelectronics and nanotechnology, where she ran the organisation’s quantum computing R&D programme.
Pascale Senellart — Quandela
HQ: Paris, France
Senellart has been a researcher specialising in quantum photonics at the CNRS for over two decades. She is the cofounder of Quandela, which launched in 2017 to build quantum computers based on particles of light (or photons). The startup has raised €65m to date and has started commercialising its first devices.
Paulina Mazurek — Beit
HQ: Kraków, Poland
Mazurek, a Google alum with extensive experience working at tech companies and VC funds in Poland, cofounded Beit in 2017. The startup designs quantum-inspired algorithms — software for classical computing, which borrows concepts and techniques from quantum computing theory — for drug discovery.
Sabrina Maniscalco — Algorithmiq
HQ: Helsinki, Finland
Maniscalco co-founded Algorithmiq in 2020, which develops software for quantum computing. The company has developed an interface to read out information from quantum computers by connecting the devices to classical computers. It also has a platform dedicated to quantum algorithms for the life sciences, which it says can carry out simulations in chemistry and materials science, for example to support drug discovery. The startup has raised over €15m to date and is backed by US investor Tiger Global.
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/8-female-founders-to-watch-quantum/
