Quantum startups raised $4.9B in VC but sold only $1.9B — a field guide maps all four markets
antavedissian · x · 2026-10-30
Canonical Labs published a Quantum Field Guide splitting the industry into four markets on different clocks: computing (early systems, very high capital), sensing (shipping products today for defense/aerospace), communications (QKD pilots, infrastructure-heavy), and post-quantum security (software-like, deployable now).
Key numbers: the whole industry sold $1.9B in 2025 against $4.9B of VC raised; today's best machines have 100 high-quality physical qubits; the qubit estimate to break RSA-2048 has fallen from 1 billion (2012) to <1 million; Google's own post-quantum migration deadline is 2029.
The guide includes 5 interactive physics experiments, a map of 40+ companies, and where the first venture outcomes are likely to come from.
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