Quantum computing machines are improving, but using them remains prohibitively expensive and inefficient. Researchers often find themselves priced out of the very experimentation they need to make progress. The high cost of quantum cloud access and the limited reliability of current hardware mean breakthroughs arrive more slowly than they should.
Haiqu wants to change that. The New York-based startup has built a new operating system designed specifically for quantum applications. The company claims its system can run complex workloads at up to 100 times the cost savings of existing methods, enabling meaningful use cases years before fully error-corrected quantum hardware is ready.
Today, Haiqu has raised an $11 million seed round led by Primary Venture Partners, with participation from Qudit Investments, Alumni Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Silicon Roundabout Ventures, and returning backers Toyota Ventures and Mac Venture Capital.
Making quantum computing practical now
Haiqu was founded in 2022 by Richard Givhan, an engineer trained at Stanford, and Mykola Maksymenko, a quantum researcher whose career has spanned the Max Planck Society and the Weizmann Institute of Science.
“Quantum teams need to make empirical progress on hardware to close the gap toward industrially useful quantum applications. Today, too little experimentation happens because quantum cloud costs are prohibitive and hardware performance remains insufficient,” said Givhan.
He added, “Our goal is to change that overnight with a software system that can run larger applications at a fraction of the cost. We are grateful to have found investors who recognise the ugly truth: middleware isn’t sexy, but it matters.”
Haiqu’s technology bridges noisy quantum devices and the complex algorithms they struggle to handle. The company’s operating system tackles inefficiencies through circuit optimisation, smart data handling, and what it calls “error shielding.”
Unlike Zapata AI, Classiq, Riverlane, Haiqu runs across different quantum machines, tailoring performance to each device type.
What’s next?
The funding will accelerate the rollout of Haiqu’s OS and support further testing with partners across finance, healthcare, and the physical sciences.
