Quantcore raises £2.5m seed to build UK manufacturing of niobium superconducting components
This article covers Quantcore, a University of Glasgow spin-out and quantum startup, which has raised £2.5m in a seed funding round to build a domestic supply chain for niobium-based superconducting components for quantum computers and sensing systems. The funding is intended to scale the startup's manufacturing capability and team to supply UK research and government customers and support domestic quantum technology development.
Quantcore, a University of Glasgow spin-out and quantum startup, has raised £2.5m in a seed funding round to build a domestic supply chain for niobium-based superconducting components used in quantum computers and sensing systems. The funding — led by a mix of venture capital and public investment — is positioned as a bid to strengthen UK manufacturing capability for technologies linked to national security and economic competitiveness.
Why it matters
Quantcore says it is the only UK company manufacturing niobium-based components for quantum devices. Niobium can operate at higher temperatures than the aluminium components commonly used today, which the company argues can reduce energy costs and make quantum hardware easier to scale. For a country that has signalled strategic support for quantum — including a government pledge of £670m as part of a 10-year industrial strategy — developing a domestic supply chain has both economic and security implications.
The company also points to practical applications beyond compute power: quantum sensors that improve secure communications and medical imaging could affect areas such as neuroscience, early disease detection and critical infrastructure monitoring.
Inside the product
Quantcore designs, manufactures and tests superconducting processors, resonators and sensors from the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre at the University of Glasgow. Its process centres on niobium-based materials and cryogenic testing, with an end product aimed at national laboratories and research facilities that operate quantum testbeds.
The firm plans to expand its headcount from four to 12 employees over the next 18 months, hiring engineering staff across design, manufacturing and cryogenic testing, alongside commercial hires to support sales and partnerships.
Who are the investors?
The £2.5m seed round was co-led by PXN Ventures, Blackfinch Ventures and Scottish Enterprise, with participation from Quantum Exponential and STAC. Scottish Enterprise is a public economic development agency; PXN and Blackfinch are venture investors; Quantum Exponential focuses on quantum technologies; and STAC runs deep tech support and accelerator activity at the University of Glasgow.
Quantcore was part of the first cohort of the University of Glasgow’s Infinity G accelerator programme, led by STAC, which helped connect the spin-out to development resources and early-stage investors. The funding is earmarked for team growth and scaling manufacturing capability to serve UK research and government customers.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Jack Brennan, Co-founder & CEO at Quantcore, said:
This technology is extremely powerful. One of the main features of quantum computers is that they will be really good at cracking codes. So, as a country, you have to ask: do you want to wait until other countries have this capability, or do you want to get there first? The world is not what it was. If you want this technology, which you do, you need to be able to manufacture it domestically so you can control every part of it. That’s what we’re building from Scotland. Classical computers are hitting a plateau as silicon reaches its limits. We’re entering a new paradigm based on fundamental physics, and it’s coming whether we like it or not. There’s no reason all the advanced tech in the UK has to be in London, Cambridge, and Oxford. Why not build it here?
The bigger picture
Quantcore’s raise sits at the intersection of several trends: increased public funding for quantum research, a push to onshore critical tech supply chains, and investor interest in quantum hardware rather than only software and algorithms. The global market for quantum technologies is projected to grow significantly by 2030, and UK policy makers have signalled intent to capture a share of that value.
For the UK and Europe, the deal underlines how university spin-outs and regional accelerator programmes continue to feed the early-stage pipeline for deep tech. If Quantcore can move from lab-scale fabrication to reliable, higher-throughput manufacturing, it could become a component supplier for both domestic research efforts and international customers — and contribute to a more diverse geographic spread of advanced technology development across the UK.
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