Startup · United Kingdom
PQShield
HQ Oxford, United KingdomFounded 201851-200 employeesUpdated
PQShield is focused on empowering organizations, industries, and nations, with the ultimate quantum-resistant hardware and software solutions
Funding5 rounds · ~$64.0M
- Equity raised
- ~$64.0M
- Debt, secondaries & grants
- Undisclosed
- Latest
- $37.0MSeries B · Jun 20, 2024
| Announced | Stage | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Other investors | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2024 | Series B | $37.0M | — | Addition | — | Reported |
| Jan 26, 2022 | Series A | $20.0M | — | Addition | — | Reported |
| Jul 8, 2020 | Seed | ~$7.0M | — | — | — | Reported |
| Sep 7, 2018 | Grant | Undisclosed | — | — | — | Reported |
| May 1, 2018 | Seed | Undisclosed | — | Oxford Science Enterprises | — | Reported |
- Series BLed by Addition$37.0MJun 20, 2024
- Series ALed by Addition$20.0MJan 26, 2022
- Seed~$7.0MJul 8, 2020
- GrantUndisclosedSep 7, 2018
- SeedLed by Oxford Science EnterprisesUndisclosedMay 1, 2018
Raised counts equity rounds; debt, secondary sales and grants are totaled separately. Amounts in other currencies are converted at the announcement month's average rate. A ~ marks an estimated or converted amount.
Systems8
- PQCryptoLib-CoreA configurable software post‑quantum cryptography library for classical, PQC and hybrid use on major operating systems.
- PQCryptoLib-SDKA plug‑and‑play SDK that integrates the PQCryptoLib-Core library with OpenSSL 3.x for quantum‑resilient applications.
- PQMicroLib-CoreA highly optimizable bare‑metal post‑quantum cryptography library for embedded systems.
- PQPerform-FlareA single‑instance hardware accelerator for lattice‑based post‑quantum cryptography, designed as an AXI subordinate.
- PQPerform-FlexA hardware accelerator with an integrated RISC‑V processor for enhanced crypto‑agility and future‑proofing.
- PQPerform-InfernoA scalable hardware accelerator for lattice‑based post‑quantum cryptography, supporting AXI4 and PCIe interfaces.
Newest unveiled first. Systems that belong to a government program link to the program page, where variants, costs and contracts are.
Capabilities2
| Technology | Role | Maturity | TRL | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information management and cybersecurity | Developer | — | — | classify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Post-quantum cryptography hardware and software for organizations and nations; cybersecurity with no explicit defense customer. | Reported |
| Quantum and advanced computing | Developer | — | — | classify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Post-quantum cryptography hardware and software for organizations and nations; cybersecurity with no explicit defense customer. | Reported |
- Developerclassify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Post-quantum cryptography hardware and software for organizations and nations; cybersecurity with no explicit defense customer.—Reported
- Developerclassify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Post-quantum cryptography hardware and software for organizations and nations; cybersecurity with no explicit defense customer.—Reported
Maturity and TRL describe this organization's work; the field-wide maturity is on each technology's page.
People2
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Ali El Kaafarani | founder and CEO |
| Ben Packman | Chief Strategy Officer |
Sources12
Show all 12 sources and supporting evidence
Profile2
- 1
PQShield · Supports Organization · description, Organization · name, Organization · website
“PQShield is focused on empowering organizations, industries, and nations, with the ultimate quantum-resistant hardware and software solutions”
- 2
Sixth-Domain · Supports Organization · country, Organization · kind
“{"country": "UK", "hq_iso2": "GB", "id": "82d1ae19-b495-4b0c-81a2-2950b2b60a9c"}”
Systems8
- 3CompanyPQCryptoLib-Core | PQShield
PQShield · Supports System
“# PQCryptoLib-Core Highly configurable SW PQC Library for Classical, PQC and PQ/T Hybrid on Linux, Windows and Mac”
- 4CompanyPQCryptoLib-SDK | PQShield
PQShield · Supports System
“# PQCryptoLib-SDK PQCryptoLib-Core + OpenSSL 3.x Provider for ease of integration”
- 5CompanyPQPerform-Flare | PQShield
PQShield · Supports System
“# PQPerform-Flare Single instance HW Lattice PQC ultra accelerator as an AXI subordinate”
- 6CompanyPQPerform-Flex | PQShield
PQShield · Supports System
“# PQPerform-Flex PQPerform-Inferno + RISC-V processor for enhanced crypto-agility”
- 7CompanyPQPerform-Inferno | PQShield
PQShield · Supports System
“# PQPerform-Inferno Highly configurable HW Lattice PQC ultra acceleration in AXI4 & PCIe systems – from Core to Multi-instance Manager with Queuing or Streaming”
- 8CompanyPQMicroLib-Core | PQShield
PQShield · Supports System
“# PQMicroLib-Core Highly optimizable baremetal PQC library in as little as 5kb RAM with option to include DPA protection”
- 9CompanyPQPlatform-CoPro | PQShield
PQShield · Supports System
“# PQPlatform-CoPro Highly configurable HW PQC acceleration for existing subsystems, from Hash only to PQ/T Hybrid, with SCA and FIA protection”
- 10
PQShield · Supports System
“# PQPlatform-TrustSys Highly configurable HW PQC acceleration with RISC-V processor for full CPU offload, configurable as Subsystem or RoT, with SCA and FIA protection”
Funding1
- 11CompanyPQShield | LinkedIn
LinkedIn · Supports Funding round, Organization · employee range, Organization · founded year, Organization · hq city, Organization · hq region, Organization · ownership, Role
“funding round: Seed Round, 2020-07-08, GBP 5,500,000”
People1
- 12
councils.forbes.com · Supports Role
“Dr Ali El Kaafarani is the founder and CEO of PQShield, a British cybersecurity startup specialising in quantum-secure solutions.”
Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.