US-based quantum software developer Zapata Computing has received $38m in a series B round co-led by mass media group Comcast’s corporate venturing unit, Comcast Ventures.
The round included BASF Venture Capital, Honeywell Venture Capital, Robert Bosch Venture Capital and Merck Global Health Innovation Fund – on behalf of chemicals producer BASF, consumer technology provider Honeywell, industrial equipment maker Robert Bosch and drug producer Merck & Co – as well as diversified trading group Itochu.
Pitango Ventures and Prelude Ventures co-led the round with Comcast Ventures, and it included Massachusetts Institute of Technology-backed incubator The Engine, Ahren Innovation Capital and Alumni Ventures Group.
Spun out of Harvard University in 2017, Zapata is developing software applications that will use quantum computing technology to improve data analytics performance for enterprise customers.
The company’s Orquestra platform will allow users to create and analyse complex quantum-enabled workflows and solve classical computational problems. The series B funding will be used to finance recruitment for Zapata’s science, engineering, research and solutions teams.
Comcast Ventures co-led Zapata’s $21m series A round in April 2019 alongside Prelude Ventures. That round also featured BASF Venture Capital, Robert Bosch Venture Capital, The Engine, Pitango Ventures and Pillar VC.
In April 2018, Zapata received $5.4m in a seed round co-led by The Engine and Pillar VC, with contributions from Prelude Ventures and Founders Fund’s FF Science fund.
