Quantum Base has achieved a landmark by becoming the first-ever spin-out from Lancaster University to be listed on the London Stock Exchange, following a successful fundraising campaign culminating in an admission to trading. This notable entry onto the AIM, which was accompanied by a £4.8 million fundraising, highlights the robust investor confidence in Quantum Base’s innovative offerings and its potential for future expansion. The funds raised are earmarked to enhance the company’s commercial activities, advance product development, and make strategic hires in key commercial and operational areas.
Quantum Base was founded in 2013 as a vehicle to market Professor Rob Young’s groundbreaking discoveries in quantum physics at Lancaster University. The core team is further strengthened by Dr Alan Gilchrist, who serves as the Marketing Director from the Lancaster University Management School, and Professor Benjamin Robinson, who acts as the scientific materials advisor from the Physics Department.
Professor Rob Young, the founder of Quantum Base, expressed his excitement about this pivotal moment, noting that the listing transcends a mere financial milestone. He emphasized that it symbolizes the fruition of a vision aimed at deploying quantum technology to solve significant real-world challenges. The capital injection from the IPO will significantly accelerate the rollout of Q-IDs, positioning them as a revolutionary new standard in the anti-counterfeiting landscape, ensuring the security of products and consumers globally.
Quantum Base is focused on refining and deploying its patented Q-ID technology—highly secure, unique authenticity tags designed to mitigate the effects of counterfeiting drastically. These tags leverage inherent atomic randomness, rendering them nearly impossible to replicate with existing technology. Q-IDs can be seamlessly integrated into standard printing methods and easily verified using a smartphone, offering a robust, consumer-friendly authentication solution that enhances the security of global brands, governments, and consumers.
Tom Taylor, Quantum Base’s CEO, expressed his enthusiasm about the company’s commencement of trading on AIM, marking a significant milestone in its journey from a university spin-out to a beacon of British scientific innovation. He highlighted that the listing signifies growth and enhances the company’s independence and credibility. Taylor is optimistic about the potential of Q-ID technology to address the pervasive challenges of counterfeiting that affect global brands, governments, and consumers, positioning the company to set a new international standard in authentication technologies.
Counterfeiting, which is estimated to cost businesses and tax authorities around $2.8 trillion annually in lost revenue, continues to be a significant global issue. Traditional anti-counterfeiting measures like holograms and security inks are often inadequate due to their susceptibility to replication, high production costs, or the need for specialized reading technology not readily available to the public or manufacturers. Quantum Base’s atomic-level Q-ID solution offers a promising alternative that requires no changes in consumer behaviour or additional infrastructure. It has been peer-reviewed, published in leading scientific journals, and rigorously tested by potential partners, proving its groundbreaking effectiveness in identifying counterfeit products and demonstrating its commercial and scientific credibility.
More information: J. Roberts et al, Using Quantum Confinement to Uniquely Identify Devices, Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/srep16456
Journal information: Scientific Reports Provided by Lancaster University