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Press coverage |
id Quantique raises EUR 1 million in first-round financing and successfully concludes technology transfer agreement with the University of Geneva Geneva, January 30, 2004 id Quantique, a privately held company based in Geneva, Switzerland, indicates that it closed its first round of financing at the end of last year and raised EUR 1 million. The investment was subscribed by i2i, a venture capital fund based in Luxemburg. At the same time, id Quantique also concluded a worldwide exclusive license agreement with the University of Geneva covering two important patents relating to quantum cryptography. The university was granted a minority participation in the capital of the company. id Quantique also announces a profit for fiscal year 2003, its second year of existence. id Quantique, a spin-off of the Physics department of the University of Geneva, was created in October 2001. It develops applications of quantum physics in the field of information security. It commercializes the first quantum cryptography system, allowing the implementation of secure communications over optical fiber networks with security guaranteed by the laws of quantum physics. « Quantum cryptography represents a revolution in the way communication secrecy is ensured. Its security does not rely on computing power limitations, but on physics » commented Prof. Nicolas Gisin, professor at the University of Geneva and one of the founders of id Quantique. « We believe that id Quantique is uniquely positioned to become the leader in the implementation of novel secure networking systems based on quantum photonics. The funds invested by i2i, as well as the healthy financial situation of the company, will allow us continuing the development and commercialization of quantum cryptography products. The license for the University of Geneva patents means even stronger technological superiority. » commented Gregoire Ribordy, CEO of id Quantique. « The technologies and applications developed by id Quantique are unique, not only as a first in the market, but also in terms of performance characteristics and innovation. Moreover, the broad based IPR portfolio developed in concert with the University of Geneva lends itself to the sustainable development and maintenance of the company's position as a market leader in quantum cryptography and photonics», noted Bo Kroll, founder of i2i. « We are very happy to see that id Quantique is continuing to grow and that it will provide to the Geneva region a clear added value in terms of skills and visibility. The University of Geneva has now spun out several high tech companies thanks to its world-class research. By licensing promising new discoveries and technologies to start-ups, the University fulfills its mission of service to the city », added Laurent Miéville head of Unitec, the technology transfer office of University of Geneva. About id Quantique id Quantique is a spin-off of the University of Geneva, Switzerland. It was created in October 2001 by four researchers of the Group of Applied Physics, Grégoire Ribordy, Olivier Guinnard, Nicolas Gisin and Hugo Zbinden. id Quantique has the commitment to become a leader in novel secure communication systems based on quantum photonics. It has developed the first commercial quantum cryptography system and quantum random number generator (QRNG). The products of id Quantique target the market of high security cryptographic applications and have the potential to dramatically enhance the security of digital communications, by solving the key generation and exchange problems. The company has been supported since its creation by CCSO, a Swiss coaching network, and the CTI-Startup initiative. In November 2001, id Quantique was one of the recipients of the European Innovation Awards from the Wall Street Journal Europe. It was also selected to represent Switzerland at the 2002 Cebit in Hannover, Germany, within the framework of the "Technologie Standort Schweiz" program. About i2i i2i is a Luxemburg based venture capital company founded in 2003 and owned by Bo Kroll, a serial entrepreneur with a successful background in the TMT sector. i2i specializes in investments in companies with "ultra high tech" IPR bases. So far, i2i has made four investments and commitments totaling 9 million euro. Mark Thorsen, Chairman of i2i, notes that: "Apart from capital, i2i also brings its' substantial business and IPR expertise into constructive long term co-operation with our portfolio companies". For more information, please contact : |
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