NK-Quantum raises 100M CNY angel round
What's the deal? NK-Quantum, a Beijing-based neutral-atom quantum computing startup founded in April, has closed an angel round of 100,000,000 CNY (≈$14.8 million). Existing backer Long CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with Hillhouse Capital, Feitu Venture CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Qingliu CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Waniu CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Yunqi PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → participating.
Why now? The financing lands one month after NK-Quantum's first round, led by GL Ventures. The back-to-back raises reflect investor confidence in the neutral-atom technical path and the team's engineering track record.
Who's behind it? The company was founded by Fan Yaoyuan, born in 1998, who earned his physics PhD from Peking University in January. NK-Quantum has set up a joint lab with Peking University and runs research teams of engineers, PhD students and postdocs around distinct technical tracks.
What's the endgame? NK-Quantum is pursuing both ultracold-atom quantum simulation and neutral-atom general-purpose quantum computing. Its strategy commercialises simulation systems for materials, drug discovery and semiconductor use cases while investing in general-purpose computing for the next decade.
By the numbers: The company says it has delivered its NK-1 quantum simulation system and cold-atom setups, winning orders worth tens of millions of yuan. It aims to reach 3,000 qubits and two-hour continuous operation with its Qiyuan-1 system in the second half of 2026, and to launch the commercial NK-2 simulator in 2027.
What could go wrong? Neutral-atom general-purpose quantum computing remains early, with practical machines widely seen as five to 10 years away. The path lags ion-trap systems on fidelity, and continuous operation has historically run only a few hundred milliseconds per cycle.
The signal: The raise comes as China's quantum funding accelerates: 2026 first-quarter funding reached 3.204 billion CNY, already above the 2.473 billion CNY raised across all of 2025, according to the article's cited CVSource data.
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
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