Sparrow Quantum, a European company developing photonic quantum chips, reports that it has raised EUR 21.5 million in a Series A round to accelerate the development and commercialisation of its quantum chip technology.
The investment round is led by PensionDanmark, with a significant contribution from EIFO and Novo Holdings, and reinvestment from existing investors 2xN, European Innovation Council (EIC) and Italy’s LIFTT (which had already participated in the first round).The capital raised will enable Sparrow Quantum to meet the growing demand for quantum photonic hardware through accelerated research and development, increased production capacity and commercialisation of next-generation quantum chips.
Sparrow Quantum stems from a strong Danish tradition of scientific discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics. While working at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, its founder, Peter Lodahl, conducted research that laid the foundation for the creation of the company’s flagship product, Sparrow Core, a deterministic single-photon on-chip source designed to enable the scalability of photonic quantum computing through the reliable, on-demand emission of indistinguishable photons. Today, Sparrow Core is the global industry standard, offering best-in-class efficiency and quality as well as exceptional stability.
“With this investment we will be able to focus our efforts on transferring quantum technology from the lab to the market,” says Lodahl, who in addition to being founder is also chief quantum officer of Sparrow Quantum, in a note. “The funding allows us to grow in three strategic areas that are essential for the industrialisation of our quantum photonic chips and for ensuring a stable and advanced solution offering in the market. We are proud to have created a team of world-class quantum photonics experts with unique know-how on quantum photonic chip technology.”
Based on an initial investment of EUR 4.1 million raised in 2023, this new funding round allows Sparrow Quantum to expand its ambitions in the following strategic areas: production development, initiate full-scale production of quantum photonic chips to meet the growing demand; advanced research and development, realise entangled photon sources, which are key to unlocking the full potential of quantum technologies; and skills expansion, enhance technical expertise to bring new quantum products to market.
In recent years, Sparrow Quantum has made significant strides towards providing market-ready solutions, collaborating with quantum computer integration companies and full-stack system providers across Europe. Thanks to the Sparrow Core chip, photonic quantum computers can achieve significantly higher processing speeds than previous iterations using probabilistic sources, fuelling fundamental advances in generative AI and quantum-optimised machine learning. These developments promise unprecedented scalability and real-world applications in various fields, in Europe and worldwide.
This investment demonstrates how wider collaboration between chip manufacturers and system integrators can be fostered across Europe, marking a crucial leap forward for Europe’s emerging quantum supply chain.
Kurt Stokbro, CEO of Sparrow Quantum (pictured together with Lodahl) says: “This investment testifies to Denmark’s and Europe’s ability to be a leader in quantum technology. With the strong support of visionary Danish investors, we are ready to unlock quantum breakthroughs for the benefit of society and the global economy.”
In addition to commercial scalability, this investment strengthens Europe’s quantum supply chain, ensuring that chip production, quality control and research and development remain within European borders. This is in line with key EU initiatives such as the Chips Act, which strengthens technological sovereignty and global competitiveness in quantum innovation.
Pierluigi Freni, LIFTT’s project manager, adds: “LIFTT is thrilled to be able to support Sparrow Quantum and, with this reinvestment, renews its confidence in the vision and path taken by the company and its entire team. The next-generation quantum chips developed by Sparrow Quantum have the potential to transform numerous industries, from quantum computing to secure communication.”
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