Lancaster University spin out Quantum Base has announced plans to float on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.
The company is seeking to raise £3M to £5M from new institutional and other shareholders, which will be used for product development and new key commercial and operational hires.
Founded by Lancaster Physics Professor Rob Young, Quantum Base is creating a new global standard in authentication through its patented Quantum Identity (Q-ID®) which harnesses randomness at the atomic level, ensuring a virtually infinite number of combinations.
The Q-ID® can be applied to a vast array of products, significantly mitigating counterfeiting which is estimated to cost businesses and tax authorities at least $2.8 trillion in lost revenue per year. Traditional solutions such as holograms, taggants and security inks are often susceptible to replication and are expensive to produce.
Tom Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Base, said: "I'm delighted to announce our intention to seek admission of Quantum Base on AIM, in doing so, providing the London market with the opportunity to share in our growth, future development and success. As a UK-based company and a British scientific success story, floating in London was the obvious choice for us.
"This is a very exciting time for Quantum Base. For over a decade, we have been developing our patented Q-ID solution - a quantum-secure tag that is virtually impossible to replicate or clone.
"As the first innovation of its kind to be easily integrated with the most common printing methods and quickly authenticated with a smartphone, it has been vital for us to maintain independence and credibility so that we can grow our solution in a sustainable manner. We believe that floating on AIM will provide us with this independence, whilst also enabling us to leverage access to a world-leading market and potential investor base."
Professor Rob Young, Founder of Quantum Base, said: "I am incredibly excited about the future of Quantum Base and immensely proud of our achievements to date. Our Quantum Identity (Q-ID®) solution, now with over 500 million units produced, has incredible potential to benefit society by protecting industries, governments, and consumers from the damaging impacts of counterfeiting. Listing on the London Stock Exchange is a critical next step for our company's future growth and development. Quantum Base has an exceptional team behind it, and I believe passionately that this is just the beginning of our journey towards setting a new global standard in authentication technology."
Quantum Base's commercialisation drive is based on a "design and licence" model. In its first stage of commercialisation, the company has signed two framework agreements with leading security printers including for tax stamps. The company is also confident that Q-ID® can be applied to postage stamps, banknotes, clothing, luxury goods, pharmaceuticals, aerospace parts and more. The authentication process to identify printed tags uses existing smartphone technology, providing easy authentication and proven security for global brands, governments and consumers.
Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Base Tom Taylor said: "I would like to extend my thanks to our existing stakeholders and partners for their continued support, and I look forward to welcoming new investors as we continue on this exciting journey of establishing a new global standard in authentication."
Lancaster University Director of Research, Enterprise & Innovation Dion Williams said: "Quantum Base, now poised to become the first Lancaster spin-out to reach IPO, serves as a strong example of how university-driven innovation can fuel economic growth. This achievement underscores Lancaster University's contribution to the UK's goal of building productive spin-out ecosystems, as outlined in the Independent Review of University Spin-Out Companies, which emphasises the importance of universities in fostering public-private partnerships to turn research into practical solutions. By remaining based at Lancaster's C-TAP co-working facilities, Quantum Base is creating high-value jobs, driving regional economic development, and reinforcing the UK's position as a leader in the global quantum technology sector."
Head of Research Commercialisation at Lancaster University Jess Wenmouth, said: "Lancaster University is at the forefront of quantum research, driving innovation in areas like quantum materials, nanotechnology, and quantum information science. With the support of UK Research and Innovation, the university is dedicated to turning its research into practical products and services that drive economic growth both regionally and nationally. This success is just one example of the many emerging from Lancaster University, where our focus on commercialising research continues to play a pivotal role in building thriving spin-out ecosystems that fuel innovation and contribute to economic growth across the UK."
