Integrating quantum computing into real-world computer applications is a complex challenge due to the fundamentally different architectures of quantum and classical platforms. BlueQubit, a San Francisco-based quantum software startup founded by Stanford alumni, believes it has a solution.
The company's Quantum Software as a Service (QSaaS) platform aims to bridge this gap by giving end-users access to ‘Quantum Processing Units’ (QPUs) and quantum computing emulators. This innovation could pave the way for quantum computing to make a tangible impact on enterprise applications.
Nyca Partners, the lead investor, is enthusiastic about BlueQubit’s potential. “We have been looking for a team to invest in who are ready to enable financial services firms to hit the ground running once quantum is here,” said Tom Brown, Partner at Nyca. “Hrant and Hayk have the background, skills, and drive to operationalize something that until recently has mostly been theory.”
The funding round also included participation from Restive, Chaac Ventures, NKM Capital, Presto Tech Horizons, BigStory, Untapped Ventures, Formula VC, and Granatus. These investors recognize BlueQubit’s ability to make quantum computing more accessible and impactful.
To further its mission, BlueQubit has raised $10 million in a Seed funding round led by Nyca Partners. The funding will support the company’s efforts to integrate enterprise applications with advanced quantum hardware, a step that could revolutionize industries like finance, pharmaceuticals, and material science. These sectors are increasingly encountering the limits of classical computing, driving interest in quantum solutions.
Quantum computing holds the potential to solve intractable problems. For example, Google’s recent unveiling of Willow, a next-generation quantum computing chip, demonstrated the technology’s power. Willow performed a computation in under five minutes that would take today’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years—a staggering leap forward.
BlueQubit’s QSaaS framework is designed to address a range of use cases, including financial modeling, pharmaceutical development, and material visualization. These applications highlight quantum computing’s ability to unlock solutions to challenges that have stymied classical computing methods.
Hrant Ghairbyan, CEO and Co-Founder of BlueQubit, explained the company’s approach to TechCrunch: “We leverage large-scale classical computing resources—specifically, a fleet of GPUs—to develop and test quantum algorithms before deploying them on real quantum processors. This approach enables us to scale effectively and pioneer novel algorithms for quantum machine learning and quantum optimization.”
BlueQubit’s software stack is a standout feature, enabling quantum emulators to run up to 100 times faster than commonly available alternatives. This speed advantage is complemented by a suite of proprietary algorithms developed in-house.
The company’s innovations are backed by its founders’ impressive credentials. Gharibyan, an MIT graduate, co-authored a groundbreaking ‘wormhole teleportation’ algorithm later implemented by Google Quantum AI on their superconducting processor. CTO Hayk Tepanyan, a Stanford graduate, previously worked on Google’s infrastructure team. The pair met at Stanford and decided to launch BlueQubit in 2022 after being inspired by a significant announcement from IBM Quantum.
“We decided to start the company while sitting on surfboards in Santa Monica,” Gharibyan shared. “It was clear that the quantum landscape was advancing at an incredible pace, and we wanted to be part of shaping its future.”
As quantum computing continues to evolve, companies like BlueQubit are at the forefront of turning theoretical advancements into practical applications. By addressing critical challenges and scaling quantum solutions, BlueQubit is positioning itself as a key player in bringing quantum computing to the real world.
With significant financial backing and a visionary team, the startup is poised to accelerate the adoption of quantum technologies across industries, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
