ColibriTD builds software that helps engineers solve some of the hardest equations in physics and finance. The French company believes the real value of quantum computing will not come from the machines themselves, but from the software that puts them to work. That belief now has €4M behind it. The Paris-based startup, founded by Laurent Guiraud and Hacène Goudjil, has built a platform that runs on several different quantum computers and takes on problems that ordinary computers and AI still struggle to solve with precision.
Most attention in quantum computing goes to hardware. New chips get announced. Qubit counts go up. Error rates come down, bit by bit. But a powerful quantum processor is only useful if there is software that can turn its output into something an engineer or a financial analyst can actually use. That gap is becoming easier to see in the numbers. So far in 2026, quantum hardware systems, quantum compute cloud, and quantum computing components have captured roughly 98% of the capital raised across the sector (New Market Pitch). Software specialists like ColibriTD remain a smaller, less funded part of the picture, even as demand for their tools grows.
ColibriTD has closed a €4M Seed round led by Earlybird Venture Capital, with SymbiaVC and Medin VC also taking part. The round follows an earlier €1M Pre-Seed investment from Earlybird.
At the center of ColibriTD's platform is a technology called H-DES, short for Hybrid Differential Equation Solver. It is built to solve partial differential equations, a type of math used to describe how physical systems behave over time. These equations show up when engineers model airflow around a plane, or how a piece of metal bends under pressure. They are not simple to work with. Solving them accurately, at the scale industries like aerospace or nuclear energy require, takes enormous computing power.
Artificial intelligence is good at finding patterns in data, but it cannot replace exact, physics-based calculations. That is the specific gap ColibriTD has spent several years trying to fill.
"Hardware may unlock quantum computing, but software determines where its value is created. ColibriTD has built a differentiated software platform with the scientific credibility and industrial traction to become the decision layer for quantum applications. We're proud to continue supporting the team on that journey." — Dr. Frédéric Du Bois-Reymond, Venture Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital
The company's approach has drawn interest from IBM, one of the biggest names in quantum computing. IBM has pointed to partial differential equations as an area where quantum computers could offer real, near-term benefits. ColibriTD's QUICK-PDE Qiskit Function is now listed in IBM's Qiskit Function Catalog, available to IBM Quantum Premium and Flex Plan users.
"Partial differential equations underpin many of the most important simulations in science and industry, yet are still difficult to solve. ColibriTD's PDE solver in the Qiskit Function Catalog represents an important tool for domain experts to explore how quantum-classical workflows could help address challenges in fluid dynamics, materials deformation, and other areas of research that remain computationally costly." — Scott Crowder, Vice President, IBM Quantum Adoption and Business Development
The funding will go mainly toward research on H-DES and toward hiring. ColibriTD wants to bring on more quantum researchers and engineers who understand specific industries well enough to work directly with clients. The company also plans to widen its partnerships with hardware makers and academic and industrial institutions, and to expand into new markets as it grows.
Roughly twenty people currently work at ColibriTD, and most hold PhDs. The company says it is actively looking for new partners willing to work with it on real projects, particularly in finance, defense, semiconductors, aerospace, automotive, and energy.
"When we founded ColibriTD in 2019, our vision was to move quantum computing past academic theory and deliver tangible business value to industry. Today, we have reached an inflection point. With seven successful co-construction projects across six sectors, we've proven that quantum-powered simulation is a present capability, not a future promise. This seed round accelerates our momentum as we scale our hardware-agnostic platform to help more enterprises capture the quantum advantage." — Dr. Laurent Guiraud, Cofounder and CEO of ColibriTD
ColibriTD was founded in Paris in 2019 by Laurent Guiraud and Hacène Goudjil. The company makes software for what is called multiphysics simulation, meaning it models several types of physical behavior at once, such as heat, motion, and pressure, in a single system. Instead of building its own quantum computer, ColibriTD writes software that runs on machines made by other companies, including IBM, AWS Braket, IQM, IonQ, and Quobly. The platform is designed to adapt as new hardware enters the market.
In practice, this means an engineering team working on something like aircraft propulsion or semiconductor design could use ColibriTD's platform across different quantum computers, without rebuilding their tools each time they switch. Over the past several years, the company has completed seven co-construction projects, meaning direct, hands-on work with industry partners rather than academic research, spanning six sectors: defense and aerospace, space and climate science, semiconductor design, nuclear energy, automotive engineering, and quantitative finance.
Earlybird Venture Capital led the €4M round. The pan-European firm was founded in 1997 and manages around €2.5 billion across its funds. It has backed companies through nine IPOs and 41 trade sales over the years. Earlybird had already invested €1M in ColibriTD at the Pre-Seed stage, so this marks its second bet on the company.
SymbiaVC and Medin VC joined the round as well. SymbiaVC describes itself as a selective early-stage investor that looks for scalable business models, strong teams, and a credible path to future funding rounds, with particular interest in digital and hardware-enabled companies.
