Fundraising Fox
/Companies
Sign in

Conductor Quantum

YC S24

San Francisco, US · Founded 2024 · 4 employees · Hiring · 23 known investors

Find your way into Conductor Quantum

11,616 people in our graph can introduce you to the Conductor Quantum team.

Sign up to see every warm intro you have to Conductor Quantum

  • Paths you didn't know you had: your email and LinkedIn already hold routes to the Conductor Quantum team. We find them
  • 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections: the friend-of-a-friend routes you can't see from your own inbox or LinkedIn
  • Answers now, not in days: momentum is everything in a raise. Skip asking around whether someone knows someone

Days of research, done the moment you sign in, with every route ranked by how warm it is.

Sign up with GoogleAlready have an account? Log in

Conductor develops AI algorithms and control software for quantum computing, helping researchers and engineers optimize qubit architectures and scaling in semiconductor-based quantum systems.

Also known as Conductor

Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeep TechQuantum ComputingArtificial IntelligenceHard TechMachine LearningSemiconductorsUnited States of AmericaAmerica / Canada

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S24)

Conductor Quantum was founded in 2024 by Brandon Severin and Joel Pendleton.

BSBrandon Severin
Brandon SeverinCo-founder & CEOBrandon Severin completed a PhD at Oxford involving quantum research across multiple institutions including IST Austria, Basel, UNSW, and Diraq, with publications on AI-driven quantum device control. He now leads Conductor Quantum.30 Under 30 2026
JPJoel Pendleton
Joel PendletonCo-Founder and CTOHe previously worked across deep tech startups and research institutions on quantum computing technologies, and left a PhD program at Oxford to start the company.30 Under 30 2026
RRaymond
RaymondFounder
JJoyce
JoyceFounder
AAngela
AngelaFounder

Investors · 23

Moonfire Ventureslisted by Moonfire VenturesLondon

How we know: Moonfire Ventures's portfolio page · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

MyAsiaVClisted by MyAsiaVCSeattlevia Aabhas Khanna · inferred
Olive Tree Capitallisted by Olive Tree CapitalBoston

How we know: Olive Tree Capital's portfolio page · the VCSheet dataset · Not right? Tell us

OUTBOUND CAPITALlisted by OUTBOUND CAPITALSaratoga Springs
Oxonian Ventureslisted by Oxonian VenturesPalo Alto

How we know: the VCSheet dataset · Not right? Tell us

Pioneerlisted by PioneerToronto, Ontario

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · pioneerfund.vc · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Qubits Ventureslisted by Qubits VenturesPasadena

How we know: Qubits Ventures's portfolio page · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Transpose Platform Managementlisted by Transpose Platform ManagementSan Francisco

How we know: Transpose Platform Management's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us

Y Combinatorlisted by Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

How we know: the Y Combinator directory · funding news · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Andreessen HorowitzreportedMenlo Park · $500K – $50M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Calm VenturesreportedSan Francisco

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Capitalize VCreportedChicago · $100K – $200K

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

GaingelsreportedNew York · $200K – $500K

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Hydrocarbon Minerals 4reported

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

HyperreportedSan Francisco · $250K – $300K

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Mergus VenturesreportedSão Paulo · $100K – $1M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Metsu Capitalreported

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

OurCrowdreportedJerusalem

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Oxford Angel FundreportedSan Francisco

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Quiet CapitalreportedSan Francisco · $100K – $25M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Singularity Venturesreported

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Tekedia CapitalreportedLagos · $1K

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

The YC application· Summer 2024 batch

Alumni Q&A

What is your long-term vision? If you truly succeed, what will be different about the world?
The founders envision a future in which quantum computers are widely accessible, available to individuals at their own desks.

Summarized from the founders' answers on their Y Combinator profile.

Key figures

latest reported
HeadcountAug 20268
Maximum simulated qubits supported on platformJan 202434 qubits
Qubit count of Rigetti QPU offered via CodaJan 202484 qubits
SemiQon quantum devices run with Conductor softwareJan 202464 devices
Team sizeJan 20264 employees

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Related companies · 8

Menten AIMenten AI develops generative AI software to design cyclic peptide therapeutics for drug targets beyond the reach of conventional small molecules and biologics. The company partners with major pharmaceutical firms to accelerate preclinical drug discovery.
Rigetti Quantum ComputingRigetti develops quantum computing hardware and systems, leveraging superconducting quantum processing units cooled by dilution refrigerators to enable advanced quantum computation capabilities.
AuroraQAuroraQ develops integrated quantum computing hardware by combining specialized quantum components for processing, communication, and memory in a unified system, similar to how classical computers combine components.
BaudBaud Labs designs specialized AI chips that reduce the computational cost and power consumption of training and serving large language models by replacing multiplication-based arithmetic with addition-based operations. The company provides both custom silicon and a PyTorch-compatible compiler to enable organizations of all sizes to run AI workloads more efficiently.
Xanadu Quantum Technologies IncOn-chip error-resistant photonic qubits.
Zettascale ComputingZSCC designs AI silicon chips (XPU) optimized for energy efficiency in machine learning inference and training, targeting the infrastructure demands of recursive self-improvement and advanced AI systems. The company is developing both individual processor units and clustered systems for scientific discovery and model training applications.
QuantinuumQuantinuum develops quantum computers and quantum software solutions for applications in drug discovery, healthcare, materials science, cybersecurity, and energy. The company operates as an integrated quantum technology platform serving enterprise and research customers globally.
PSI QuantumPsiQuantum builds fault-tolerant quantum computers using photonic qubits and semiconductor manufacturing processes. The company develops quantum chips, cryogenic systems, and modular quantum computing platforms for commercial deployment across industries.

Companies working in the same space as Conductor Quantum.

Timeline · 5

launches, deals, and filings
Dec 2025
Founders named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Science 2026 list

Cofounders Brandon Severin and Joel Pendleton were profiled on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Science 2026 list.

source ↗

Jan 2024
Participated in Y Combinator Summer 2024 batch

Company listed in Y Combinator's Summer 2024 batch with Tom Blomfield as primary partner.

source ↗

Jan 2024
Partnership with silicon quantum chip maker SemiQon

Conductor Quantum partnered with Finnish quantum chip maker SemiQon and ran its software across 64 of SemiQon's quantum devices, aimed at accelerating scalable silicon-based quantum computers.

source ↗

Jan 2024
Coda — natural language interface for quantum computing

Coda lets users describe a problem in natural language; the system builds the quantum circuit, verifies the code and runs it on quantum hardware, including Rigetti's 84-qubit machine, plus simulations up to 34 qubits using NVIDIA cuQuantum. A learn mode is included for newcomers.

source ↗

Jan 2024
Launch of Conductor Quantum — AI software for creating qubits on silicon chips

The company's first Y Combinator launch presented AI software described as creating qubits 1000x faster than current methods.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

In the news

Coda — Natural language quantum computingycombinator.com · Jan 2026Conductor Quantum - Quantum computers on silicon chips using AIycombinator.com · Aug 2024Conductor Quantum Funding | Complete Analysis | Extruct AIextruct.ai · Jun 2024

▸Research sources · 4

primary sources listed

4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Conductor Quantum do?
Conductor develops AI algorithms and control software for quantum computing, helping researchers and engineers optimize qubit architectures and scaling in semiconductor-based quantum systems.
Who founded Conductor Quantum?
Conductor Quantum was founded by Brandon Severin, Joel Pendleton in 2024.
Who are Conductor Quantum's investors?
Conductor Quantum's investors include DG Daiwa Ventures, Moonfire Ventures, MyAsiaVC, Olive Tree Capital, OUTBOUND CAPITAL, Oxonian Ventures, Pioneer, Qubits Ventures and 15 more.
Where is Conductor Quantum headquartered?
Conductor Quantum is headquartered in San Francisco, US.