Aquark Technologies secures €5m seed funding led by the NATO Innovation Fund
The Southampton quantum startup raised €5m from a syndicate including EIFO, UKI2S and MBDA to advance its cold atom technology.
Aquark Technologies develops cold atom quantum technology designed to provide precise positioning, navigation and timing signals for critical infrastructure.
Aquark Technologies has secured €5m in a seed funding round led by the NATO Innovation Fund. The financing also drew participation from EIFO, UKI2S, and MBDA. The firm is the first graduate of the Defence Accelerator for the North Atlantic cohort to receive direct backing from the fund.
The capital will support the company as it scales production of its cold atom technology, which provides resilient timing and navigation signals to counter GPS vulnerabilities. The funding enables the team to transition from laboratory research towards broader commercial deployment in defence, finance and telecommunications.
The investment arrives as demand grows for mobile and durable quantum sensors capable of operating in remote environments. The syndicate aims to bolster sovereign technological capabilities across the UK, Europe, and the wider NATO alliance.
From the founder
"This funding marks an incredible opportunity for Aquark to take quantum technologies closer to broader use. We are proud to have such a strong syndicate supporting us as we achieve this goal. We are aligned in our vision to deliver quantum technologies that will have a beneficial impact on civilian life, infrastructure, and defence. In this way, we are excited to see Aquark continue to contribute to the UK, Europe, and NATO’s quantum strategies."
Andrei Dragomir
CEO at Aquark Technologies
Investor perspective
"We are excited to support the Aquark team and look forward to helping them deploy the technology across the world."
Kelly Chen
Partner, NATO Innovation Fund
Investors
About the company
Aquark Technologies
Aquark Technologies builds miniature quantum sensor systems to protect critical infrastructure from navigation interference.