"ACT Venture Partners is thrilled to announce its €1.5M seed investment in Qubitrium, a startup specializing in nanosatellite-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems. The investment will support the launch of Qubitrium’s first satellite to demonstrate its miniaturized QKD payload under real space conditions."
The Challenge: Securing Information at the Edge of Quantum Computing
As quantum computers continue to evolve, they present both groundbreaking opportunities and significant threats. Traditional cryptographic systems, which currently secure sensitive data across industries like finance, healthcare, and defense, are becoming increasingly vulnerable. Quantum computers, with their immense processing power, have the potential to break widely used public-key cryptosystems such as Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). This threatens the security of information exchanged across critical sectors and raises the urgent need for new, quantum-resistant solutions.
Experiments have shown that Shor’s algorithm—designed for quantum computers—can break commonly used encryption. As quantum threats surge, there is a critical need for technologies like Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), which leverages the principles of quantum physics. Using entangled photons, QKD ensures secure key pairs are generated and detects eavesdroppers by measuring the changes in quantum states. This provides highest level of confidentiality and integrity, making QKD essential for safeguarding communications.
Qubitrium: Leading the Charge in Quantum Key Distribution
Qubitrium’s focus goes beyond specific satellites and QKD links; the company offers comprehensive payload solutions suitable for CubeSats, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and the availability of communication systems for both defense and industrial cybersecurity applications. By miniaturizing QKD systems, Qubitrium is enabling secure communication on a global scale, especially in space-based applications, where resilient data transmission is critical.
Founded in 2020 by Dr. Kadir Durak, a faculty member at Özyeğin University, Qubitrium was established to address the growing vulnerabilities of current cryptographic systems. By focusing on QKD technology, Qubitrium aims to ensure secure, scalable communication across critical sectors like finance, healthcare, defense, and supply chains. The company has already received support from national R&D grants and NATO’s DIANA Program, where it successfully tested its miniaturized QKD systems designed for nanosatellites.
Commenting on the investment round, Qubitrium’s Founder and CEO Dr. Kadir Durak stated, “The challenges of information sharing and security can be effectively addressed through our QKD technology, which is based on zero-trust principles, enabling secure and trusted exchanges between organizations. A QKD system that operates on zero-trust principles can be achieved through the use of entangled photon sources. Currently, Qubitrium is the only company offering these products in such a miniaturized form.” Dr. Durak further emphasized, “In addition to developing QKD products, Qubitrium is building a new supply chain across Europe to deliver secure communication solutions.”
With ACT's investment, Qubitriumis set to accelerate its mission to establish secure communication solutions for the quantum age. The company plans to launch its first satellite to demonstrate its products under space conditions and validate the feasibility of QKD. Additionally, Qubitrium will deepen its engagement with global customers and strategic partners by strengthening its sales and technical customer success teams. Through these efforts, Qubitrium seeks to establish itself as a leader in providing miniaturized QKD payloads for nanosatellite manufacturers and satellite service providers.
Join the Qubitrium Team
Qubitrium is seeking talented individuals to join its mission of enabling secure communications. The company has announced several open positions for its Türkiye and Netherlands offices. Qubitrium invites talented individuals to explore the exciting career opportunities available. Further information about open positions and applications is available at the company’s careers page: https://qubitrium.tech/careers-at-qubitrium/.
