With Quantum Motion reaching its latest growth milestone, we sat down with Frank Lansink, General Partner of early backer Inkef to reflect on a partnership that began back in 2020. As a leading European venture platform built on conviction over consensus, Inkef led Quantum Motion’s Series A when silicon spin qubits were still a contrarian bet, doubling down in every round since. In this Investor Spotlight, we explore the thesis behind their early conviction, the pivotal manufacturing milestones achieved so far, and why according to Inkef Quantum Motion is uniquely positioned to drive quantum computing’s defining “transistor moment.”
Q: Frank, can you introduce Inkef and your investment philosophy?
Inkef is a leading European venture platform backing category-defining founders, with over €550M deployed to date. Our core philosophy comes down to conviction over consensus. We underwrite disruptive technology before it becomes obvious, betting early on contrarian thinkers that want to build global winners. Quantum Motion is that thesis in action. We led their Series A back in 2020 when the technology was still at an early stage and we have proudly backed the team in every single round since.
Q: What initially sparked your decision to invest in Quantum Motion?
Back in 2020, the quantum sector was largely focused on chasing raw qubit counts, bigger numbers made for great marketing. Quantum Motion made a completely different, counter-intuitive bet: design for manufacturability and error correction from day one. By choosing to build spin qubits in standard silicon CMOS, they instantly inherited the entire semiconductor ecosystem decades of process knowledge, established foundries, and reliable global supply chains. While others were forced to invent a brand-new manufacturing process alongside the physics, Quantum Motion didn’t have to. It was a bold, contrarian view at the time, but John, Simon and James had the technical depth and vision to execute it.
Q: Looking at Quantum Motion’s trajectory up to date, what key milestones stand out to you?
Delivering a full-stack quantum computer to the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre last September was a massive moment for the industry. It was a world-first, manufactured on the exact same 300mm silicon wafers that currently produce microchips by the billions. The momentum since then speaks for itself: selection for DARPA Stage B, expanding operational teams across Spain, Australia, and the US, and building an elite global cap table, highlighted by DCVC and Kembara leading their recent Series C.
Q: Why do you believe Quantum Motion will ultimately become a global leader?
For quantum computing to deliver actual commercial utility, systems will need millions of physical qubits. At that scale, quantum stops being a pure physics problem and becomes a classic manufacturing problem focused on yield, footprint, energy, and cost. Quantum Motion is the only company attacking these dimensions from inside a supply chain that already operates at global scale. If quantum computing is about to experience its defining transistor moment, it will look like what this team is building.