A quantum computing startup founded by former Google execs has secured investment.

First reported by Nikkei Asia, Qolab has received a $3.5 million investment from the state-owned Development Bank of Japan.

qolab
– Qolab

California-based Qolab is a quantum computing startup founded in 2022 by former Google quantum leaders. The company launched out of stealth over the summer.

CEO Alan Ho was previously at Google, where he was a product and program management lead for the Google Quantum AI team. CTO John Martinis is another Google alum and led the Quantum AI Lab team that developed a quantum computer that could outperform classical supercomputers on a specific task in 2019.

Robert McDermott, who will head up hardware at Qolab, is the Roeske Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The company is focused on superconducting qubits and enhancing qubit coherence – or how long a quantum bit can maintain its quantum state without errors. Little information about the company’s technology is available.

The investment will reportedly provide the funding to purchase equipment necessary to develop quantum computing technology.

Qolab has partnered with semiconductor firm Applied Materials to develop proprietary fabrication processes.