IBM Backs Israeli Quantum Startup Qedma in $26M Round to Boost Error Fixing Tech
Israeli startup Qedma has secured $26 million in Series A funding to accelerate the development of its quantum error-mitigation software. The round was led by Glilot+ (Glilot Capital Partners’ early growth fund), with participation from Korea Investment Partners, TPY Capital, and IBM. This strategic investment aligns with IBM’s broader vision of building a fault-tolerant quantum computing ecosystem, and it marks another step toward solving one of the field’s most persistent challenges: error management.
Addressing Quantum’s Core Challenge: Noise and Errors
Quantum computers are notoriously error-prone due to their sensitivity to noise and environmental interference. These issues have limited the size and reliability of quantum circuits, slowing progress toward real-world applications in finance, drug discovery, and materials science.
To tackle this bottleneck, most companies focus on hardware-based error correction. However, Qedma takes a different approach by building software-based error suppression and mitigation tools. Its flagship product, QESEM (Quantum Error Suppression and Error Mitigation), works during quantum algorithm execution to suppress some classes of noise and applies statistical techniques afterward to correct results.
According to Professor Dorit Aharonov, Qedma’s co-founder and chief scientific officer, this approach allows current-generation quantum computers to run circuits up to 1,000 times larger than previously possible. Aharonov, widely respected for her foundational contributions to quantum computing, emphasized that QESEM’s improvements are realized without waiting for hardware-level fault tolerance.
A Strategic Fit with IBM and the Global Quantum Ecosystem
IBM, a major player in both quantum hardware and software, views Qedma as a strategic partner. According to Jay Gambetta, IBM’s VP of Quantum, combining expertise from different layers of the stack including software-only companies like Qedma and Finnish startup Algorithmiq, is crucial for accelerating innovation.
IBM has already integrated Qedma into its Qiskit Functions Catalog, making QESEM accessible to a growing developer and researcher base. Although Qedma’s tools are available through IBM, the startup remains hardware-agnostic. It has already run demonstrations on IonQ’s trapped-ion systems and is collaborating with additional quantum hardware manufacturers, including one described as “the largest company in the market.”
Pushing Toward Practical Quantum Advantage
The ultimate goal for many in the field is achieving quantum advantage, the point at which a quantum computer can perform a task that classical computers cannot efficiently simulate. Gambetta noted that definitions of quantum advantage are still being debated, especially around whether initial breakthroughs will solve practical problems or remain academic milestones.
Qedma’s CEO and co-founder Asif Sinay believes the startup is closing in on this milestone. He suggested that within the year, Qedma may be able to confidently demonstrate quantum advantage using its mitigation tools. Unlike hardware-based approaches that require millions of qubits, Qedma’s methods do not depend on scaling qubit count to extreme levels.
Founders with Deep Roots in Science and Security
Qedma’s leadership team includes top talent from academia and Israel’s elite military research programs. Sinay, a physicist and former employee at augmented reality company Magic Leap, is a graduate of the Talpiot program, known for producing some of Israel’s most successful tech founders. His former classmate Lior Litwak, now at Glilot+, led the funding round.
The team also includes Professor Netanel Lindner, a theoretical physicist at Technion, who co-founded the company and leads technical development. Lindner recently co-presented Qedma’s collaborative research with Japan’s RIKEN institute at Q2B Tokyo, highlighting efforts to integrate quantum with traditional supercomputing.
What’s Next for Qedma
With the new capital, Qedma plans to grow its team from about 40 to between 50 and 60 employees. The company will continue expanding its R&D capabilities while also building out marketing and sales teams to bring its products to end users in finance, chemistry, and academia.
“Our customers are the end users, and our partners are the hardware providers,” Sinay explained. This reflects a growing trend in quantum: abstracting away the complexities of quantum circuit design so that domain experts such as chemists and financial analysts can run accurate simulations without deep knowledge of quantum mechanics.
As Gambetta described, users want to define a problem, specify the desired accuracy, and set tolerances for quantum and classical resource use. Software like Qedma’s allows that level of customization.
The Bigger Picture
Other companies are also working on error reduction, though with different methods. For example, French startup Alice & Bob raised $104 million to build a fault-tolerant quantum computer using cat qubits, which are intrinsically protected from certain errors. While Qedma supports these hardware improvements, its software can also enhance less advanced systems, accelerating the timeline toward usable quantum computing.
Ultimately, both approaches will play a role. “Our claim is that we can get quantum advantage even before a million qubits are achieved,” Lindner said. As quantum technology progresses, Qedma hopes to serve as a bridge helping today’s noisy quantum systems produce results good enough for real-world use cases.