Company · Brighton
In October 2026 Universal Quantum raised more than $100m in a Series A co-led by DCVC and Firgun Ventures, which it describes as the largest for a UK-headquartered quantum computing firm. Founded in 2018 by Winfried Hensinger and Sebastian Weidt as a University of Sussex spin-out, it builds trapped-ion processor chips that operate at 70K and shuttle ions between modules over an electric-field link called UQConnect. It led a £7.5m Innovate UK consortium on error correction with Rolls-Royce, Riverlane, Imperial College London and Sussex, and holds a contract from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Universal Quantum, based in Brighton, is a company whose work covers quantum processors; it was founded in 2018. In this directory it leads Developing an error corrected quantum processor solution for commercial quantum computing and is a partner in 3 more. People profiled here include Sebastian Weidt (Co-Founder and CEO) and Winfried Hensinger (Co-Founder).
Sources: Universal Quantum secures over $100M to expand quantum computing (Quantum Zeitgeist, October 2026) · Universal Quantum: what we do · University of Sussex: spin-out led consortium awarded millions to build commercial quantum computer
A Universal Quantum-led consortium building a trapped-ion quantum computer that can correct its own errors, with Rolls-Royce as end user.
Role: Lead
Funding: £7.5m
Themes: Computing
A doctoral training centre run by the universities of Sussex and Bristol to train PhD researchers in quantum technology.
Role: Partner
Funding: £24m
Themes: Skills and training, Computing
A sureCore-led consortium designing chip technology that works at the very low temperatures inside quantum computers.
Role: Partner
Funding: £6.5m
Themes: Computing, Materials and components
NISQ.OS
A Riverlane-led consortium that built Deltaflow.OS, an operating system meant to run the same software on different kinds of quantum hardware.
Role: Partner
Funding: £7.6m
Themes: Computing, Software and algorithms
Recent articles from Quantum Zeitgeist that mention Universal Quantum.
Universal Quantum, a UK-based firm, just raised over $100 million in Series A funding, the largest of its kind for a British quantum company.
Image © Quantum Zeitgeist
Getting better Quantum Computers, took a step forward with a £7.5m grant from Innovate UK’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to build scalable quantum computers that can correct their own errors aimed at the aerospace industry. The consortium was led by Universal Quantum, a Sussex based Ion Trap b
Image © Quantum Zeitgeist
Research, commercial and investment relationships, by year. Partners with a profile here are linked.
EDBI Investment 2026
Open Quantum Institute Research 2025
DLR Commercial 2022
Edwards Vacuum Research 2022
Recorded on Edwards Vacuum's profile.
Quantum Exponential Investment 2022
Recorded on Quantum Exponential's profile.
Riverlane Research 2022
Rolls-Royce Research 2022
University of Sussex Research 2018
Quantum processor · Research only
Quantum processor · Roadmap
Hardware · Research only
Control hardware · Research only
Chosen by shared specialisms, then location and type.
Company · Sheffield · 1 shared specialism
Company · London · 1 shared specialism
Company · London · 1 shared specialism
Company · Cardiff · 1 shared specialism
Company data from Entangled Future. News from Quantum Zeitgeist. Last checked 10 October 2026.
Logos and names are trademarks of their respective owners, used to identify them. No endorsement implied.
