eleQtron, a German developer of trapped-ion quantum computers, announced a €57m (about $66m) Series A round on 5 May 2026. Schwarz Digits, the IT and digital division of the Schwarz Group, led the round.
The European Innovation Council Fund is a key investor, and existing backer Earlybird also took part. New investors are Ankaa Ventures, a French venture firm, Precitec, a laser equipment company, NRW.BANK in Düsseldorf and IFB Innovationsstarter. According to the University of Siegen, the package also includes grants from the European Union and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. No valuation was disclosed.
The company and its backers describe the round as one of the largest Series A financings in quantum computing worldwide.
“Quantum computing is transitioning from a research-driven technology to an industrially usable infrastructure.”Jan Henrik Leisse, CEO and co-founder, eleQtron
What eleQtron builds
eleQtron was founded in 2020 as a spin-off from the University of Siegen and builds quantum computers based on trapped ions. Its proprietary technology, called MAGIC (Magnetic Gradient Induced Coupling), controls the ions with miniaturised microwave technology rather than lasers, which the company says allows precise, scalable control of qubits.
The basic technology for controlling ion qubits was developed at Siegen. Co-founder Christof Wunderlich, a quantum optics professor there, remains a shareholder after leaving management, the university said.
Jan Henrik Leisse is chief executive and co-founder, and Michael Johanning is chief technology officer, according to HPCwire. The company has more than 100 employees and an order volume above €54m, and works with European research and computing centres.
Investors' comments
Leisse said: "Quantum computing is transitioning from a research-driven technology to an industrially usable infrastructure."
Christian Müller, co-chief executive of Schwarz Digits, said digital sovereignty is a top priority for the company and its partners. Hendrik Brandis, co-founder and partner at Earlybird, said eleQtron combines clearly differentiated technology with a compelling approach. Svetoslava Georgieva, chair of the EIC Fund's board, said companies that combine scientific excellence with a clear focus on scalable systems matter for turning Europe's strengths into globally competitive technology.
Stefanie Reese, rector of the University of Siegen, called the company's path an impressive example of how research can lead to forward-looking innovations.
What the money is for
eleQtron said the funds will go to building scalable production capacity, expanding cloud-based access to its systems and advancing its hardware platform. The university described the aim as industrial scaling of the technology, and The Next Web said it is meant to carry the architecture from research-prototype scale toward commercial deployment.
The Next Web reported that eleQtron had raised an earlier €50m round in November 2022, with Earlybird and Siegerlandfonds among the participants. It also named three founders in Siegen in 2020: Michael Johanning, Christof Wunderlich and Jan Leisse.
The Next Web wrote that MAGIC, which uses radio-frequency fields rather than lasers to control qubits, may scale more easily toward chip-style manufacturing than rivals that rely on bespoke optics. It listed superconducting, photonic, neutral-atom and topological approaches as competition, and flagged unproven commercial scaling and competition for quantum talent from US labs as risks. HPCwire listed company locations in Siegen and Hamburg.
Company website: eleqtron.com