For over two decades, S3 Ventures provided patient capital and dedicated resources to visionary teams tackling billion-dollar problems across the entire technology stack, from silicon to application software. S3 underwrites ambitious, long-term technical roadmaps to help founders build transformative and high-impact companies. We sat down with Aaron Perman, General Partner, S3 Ventures to learn more about S3 Ventures and what sparked them to join the Quantum Motion journey.
Q: What sparked your decision to invest in Quantum Motion?
What immediately set Quantum Motion apart is their pragmatic silicon-spin approach to quantum computing. By leveraging decades of existing semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure, they build qubits on 300mm wafers alongside world-class foundry partners like IMEC and GlobalFoundries. While alternative architectures require custom, bespoke hardware costing anywhere from $100 million to $1 billion per machine, Quantum Motion scales at a fraction of that cost reaching single-digit millions per unit at volume. As Andy Kesseler says: “CMOS always wins.” Among all teams pursuing silicon-spin technology, Quantum Motion stands out as the only team to build and field-deploy a complete, full-stack system.
Q: Which Quantum Motion milestones stand out to you most?
The team’s execution cadence over the past few years has been remarkable. Delivering the world’s first commercial full-stack silicon CMOS quantum computer to the UK National Quantum Computing Centre in 2025 was a massive watershed moment. Alongside that deployment, their technical breakthroughs in high-fidelity qubit shuttling significantly derisk their long-term architectural timeline. Securing a spot in Stage B of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative further underscores that their technology is built on world-class, rigorously verified engineering.
Q: Why do you believe Quantum Motion is positioned to become a global leader?
It starts with leadership. Quantum Motion pairs top-tier technical minds with an exceptional operator in James, giving them the exact operational maturity needed to build a category-defining company.
Beyond leadership, they possess rare strategic discipline. Rather than chasing headline vanity metrics on demonstration units that can never realistically reach scale, Quantum Motion is laying the hard manufacturing foundation today. Their relentless focus on standard CMOS ensures that utility-scale quantum computing won’t just be scientifically possible, it will be economically viable. With commercial momentum spanning key government initiatives like DARPA and the UK national quantum strategy alongside enterprise partnerships with leading names in the field, Quantum Motion is uniquely positioned to define the next era of computing.