From Spin-Off to Scale-Up: How LuxQuanta Is Pioneering Quantum-Safe Cybersecurity
- ByStartupStory | October 19, 2025
In a strong vote of confidence, LuxQuanta, a deep-tech startup emerging from photonics research, has today announced that it has raised €8 million in Series A funding. This capital infusion marks a pivotal moment in its journey toward global scale, supporting its mission to bring quantum-safe cybersecurity solutions to real-world networks.
The Funding and Backers
The €8 million round was led by Big Sur Ventures alongside A&G, with participation from returning investors including Corning and GTD, and new strategic contributions from GMV, Wayra, and the European Innovation Council (EIC Fund). In addition, earlier soft funding from the European Innovation Council’s Accelerator program had awarded LuxQuanta a €2.5 million grant in 2024, laying the groundwork for this round.
With this latest investment, LuxQuanta transitions from a promising deep tech venture to a scale-up with the firepower to expand operations, deepen research, and accelerate commercialization.
The Technology: CV-QKD Meets Integrated Photonics
LuxQuanta’s core offering rests on Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution (CV-QKD), a variant of quantum key distribution tailored for compatibility with existing fiber-optic infrastructure. Their current flagship product — NOVA LQ® (2nd generation) — is designed to:
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Enforce validated security via the Gaussian-modulated coherent-state (GMCS) CV-QKD protocol
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Operate reliably with robust hardware and custom electronics
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Scale efficiently through both point-to-point (P2P) and point-to-multipoint (P2MP) configurations
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Integrate seamlessly under standards (e.g. ETSI GS-QKD 014) and interoperate with key management systems
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Achieve high secret key rates (e.g. >100 kbps at 4 dB loss) over realistic channel loss regimes
By combining these features with advancements in integrated photonics, LuxQuanta aims to reduce costs and complexity, making quantum-safe communications more accessible.
Market Traction & Global Reach
Though still relatively young, LuxQuanta has already secured multi-million euro sales across Europe and initiated deployments in Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the U.S. It is positioning itself not just as a European innovator, but as a global contender in securing critical communications for telecoms, governments, financial institutions, data centers, infrastructure, and energy sectors.
LuxQuanta was founded in May 2021 as a spin-off from ICFO, the photonics research institute in Barcelona. Over just a few years, it has matured from lab-scale development to commercial product deployments — a journey enabled by a strong technical foundation and strategic vision.
Scaling Up for the Quantum Era
With the new capital, LuxQuanta plans to:
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Expand its commercial, technical, and operations teams
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Ramp up production capacity
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Relocate to larger facilities
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Enter new international markets
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Invest further in integrated photonics R&D
The founders and investors see a clear imperative: quantum computers will eventually break many of today’s cryptographic systems, creating a “harvest now, decrypt later” threat. To stay ahead, public and private networks must adopt quantum-safe measures proactively.
In the words of LuxQuanta’s CEO, Vanesa Díaz, this funding round is “a powerful validation of our vision to safeguard global communications in the quantum era.” As she puts it, the journey to quantum-safe networks “is critical—and it starts now.”
Meanwhile, backers such as Big Sur Ventures, A&G, Wayra, and GMV highlight not only the technological strength of LuxQuanta, but also its strategic alignment with defense, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure security. For Europe in particular, LuxQuanta is seen as a standard-bearer in future-proofing digital sovereignty.
What This Means for the Ecosystem
LuxQuanta’s rise offers several signals worth noting:
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Deep-tech ventures can scale faster than before — with the right combination of research spin-offs, domain specialization, and investor backing
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Quantum security is shifting from theory to deployment — startups now compete not just on novelty but on interoperability, reliability, and cost
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Strategic investors are converging — telecommunications, defense, infrastructure, and venture capital are aligning around quantum-safe initiatives
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Timing matters — as quantum computing capabilities advance, early movers in quantum-resilient security stand to secure high-trust partnerships
If LuxQuanta succeeds in executing its expansion and delivering on its technical roadmap, it could become a benchmark for how deep-science startups transition into infrastructure-scale cybersecurity providers.
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