The development of quantum computers presents an opportunity to develop more secure solutions for industries dealing with delicate data like communication and banking. While many companies are only awakening to quantum cryptography, Crypta Labs has developed the Quantum Random Number Generator, QRNG to help hardware manufacturers move from traditional to quantum encryption.
Founded in 2014 by Dr. Jose Coello, Crypta Labs has patented technology in Quantum Random Number Generation and has raised millions of dollars from four investment rounds. Their QRNG was also used in the Low Earth Orbit environment project funded by the UK Space Agency and UKRI.
Who Are Crypta Labs?
Crypta Labs is an award-winning quantum security start-up providing secure solutions through quantum-based encryption chips and software to secure the Internet of Things. The company was founded in 2014 by Dr. Jose Coello after recognizing the potential of using the camera on a mobile device as a true random number generator.
The discovery, now patented by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, was the idea of scattering photons with a diffuser, which would then be caught with a camera to harness the entropy. Due to the complexity involved in integrating and miniaturizing such a system, Jose and his team continued their research into alternative sources of entropy.
In 2021, they built the discrete Quantum Optics Module, QOM, a first-of-its-kind solution for the QRNG community. The company is based in London and has a staff body of 2 to 10 employees. Crypta Labs have proven the ease of adoption of their QRNG technology by integrating it into their own USB Hardware Security Module.
What Does Crypta Labs Do?
Crypta Labs are developing the requisite hardware to provide QRNG technology to a global market. Small, affordable, and easy-to-integrate solutions provide the highest quality entropy at high speed.
Hardware
Crypta Labs has developed QOM technology and embedded software, which can be built as a standalone solution or integrated into partner devices. Their first generation, 1U rack-mountable quantum random number generator appliance, is designed for data center use.
Their USB Quantum HSM delivers random numbers, and a means to generate and securely store quantum-seeded keys.
Software
Crypta Labs are also developing Quantum Random Numbers as a Service for people searching for a remote solution for obtaining quantum random numbers through secure API calls.
Funding
Crypta Labs has raised $4.4 Million from four investment rounds since its inception. In October 2016, they raised a seed round funding of $290K from Angels Den. By November 2017, Crypta Labs raised an undisclosed amount as a non-equity assistance fund from Pitch@Palace.
Their last funding round came in July 2019, when Innovate UK led a debt financing round funding of $2.1M with support from Bloc Ventures. Bloc followed in 2021 and 2022 with further investment. The company is supported by Innovate UK grants and loans and is a funded member of the Aqurand Quantum assurance program.
Quantum Random Number Generators
A Quantum Random Number Generator is a device that uses quantum physics to generate sequences of numbers that approximate true randomness. The numbers are random because the generator’s output is influenced by the quantum states of their components (such as the spin states of electrons). These states are inherently random and unpredictable.
Because the behavior of a quantum system is inherently nondeterministic, it is impossible to predict which path it will take through space or even if it will arrive at a particular point at all. This unpredictability makes the quantum systems ideal for cryptographic applications, such as encrypting data or generating keys.
IDQuantique, was the first company to develop QRNG in 2001 and recently launched the XG Series, the first comprehensive line of Quantum Key Distribution systems. The device is fully integrated with IDQ’s QKD management and monitoring framework.
Another company developing QRNGs is Quantum Dice, a spin-off from the University of Oxford. The start-up is developing the first portable source-device independent quantum random number generator in the world using integrated photonics.
About the CEO, Jon Maliepaard
Jon is a successful tech entrepreneur who has worked at several tech start-ups and is passionate about bringing ideas to market. He founded, grew, and sold an ISP on his own, and he has invested in and exited several tech companies. Jon is an early-stage investor in Crypta Labs and will use his skills to deliver Crypta Labs’ quantum technology to the rest of the world.
