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01 Apr 2026
Californian startup has developed integrated photonics systems aimed at a variety of quantum applications.
Monarch Quantum, a San Diego startup company established by Daylight Solutions co-founder Timothy Day, says it has raised $55 million in venture support.
The funding will be used to accelerate production of Monarch’s “quantum light engines”, integrated photonic control systems that the firm is aiming at applications across quantum computing, sensing, and networking.
Founded less than a year ago, Monarch says it already has more than $60 million in customer contracts from the likes of Quantinuum, Infleqtion, and NASA, bringing total capital and customer contracts to more than $115 million. The firm also made an appearance at SPIE’s “Quantum West” exhibition in San Francisco earlier this year.
“Quantum technologies are reaching a point where infrastructure matters as much as the qubits themselves,” said Monarch CEO Day in a release announcing the funding round. “Our Quantum Light Engines replace complex laboratory photonics systems with manufacturable hardware, enabling our customers to scale quantum platforms faster and more reliably.”
Scalable solutions
While their proponents believe that quantum technologies will transform industries from healthcare to national security, thanks to major government initiatives around the world, most of today’s systems still rely on large, expensive bench-top setups that are difficult to scale.
“As public and private investment grows, scalable photonics infrastructure is becoming essential to move from research to commercial deployment,” states the company, suggesting that its light engines can solve the problem by enabling precise photonic control across quantum computing, sensing, and networking.
Day and the Monarch team already have plenty of experience scaling complex photonics, with the quantum cascade laser systems commercialized by Daylight Solutions now deployed on military aircraft to enable advanced infrared countermeasures.
After initially winning investment from major US defense contractor Northrop Grumman, Daylight was acquired by Leonardo DRS in 2017 for $150 million.
Photonics backbone
Monarch’s funding round was led by Singapore-headquartered Serendipity Capital, with participation from Denmark’s quantum-focused venture fund 55 North, and California’s Global Innovation Labs.
Serendipity CEO and founder Rob Jesudason commented: “Integrated photonics - and Monarch’s Quantum Light Engines in particular - are a critical enabler for the deployment of quantum technologies.
“Monarch Quantum is uniquely positioned to become the global leader and enable quantum computing companies to deliver their roadmaps. Tim and his team have a proven track record in photonic integration, and we are delighted to partner with them to achieve the next stage of their growth.”
Kai Hudek, general partner at 55 North, added: “Quantum technologies will only achieve real impact if they can be engineered and manufactured at scale. We see Monarch’s technology as critical infrastructure for the ecosystem, enabling quantum platforms to move from bespoke laboratory setups to reliable, manufacturable systems.
“The company combines deep photonics expertise, strong systems engineering, and high-quality manufacturing validated by real commercial demand. We’re excited to partner with Tim and the Monarch team in this next phase of growth and help build the photonics backbone for quantum systems worldwide.”
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