RhymeQ, a quantum computing startup with offices in Karlsruhe, Germany and Zürich, Switzerland, has raised a US$2.2 million Pre-Seed round. The investment was led by Ground State Ventures, with participation from Vanagon Ventures, Plug and Play, and Freiraum Ventures. Announced on October 22, 2026 at NVIDIA GTC Berlin, the funding coincides with the public launch of Rhyme, a platform designed to make quantum programming as simple as writing in Python.
Closing the Quantum Skills Gap
Quantum computers hold promise for industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, finance, and manufacturing, but coding for them typically requires a PhD in quantum physics. RhymeQ has developed Rhyme as an abstraction layer that lets developers with basic Python skills write and debug quantum applications without touching qubits, gates, or physics. The company's compilers handle translation for quantum computers, and the platform is compatible across multiple quantum processors with no hardware lock-in.
Investor Confidence and Use of Funds
Ground State Ventures led the Pre-Seed round. Kris Kaczmarek, Partner at Ground State Ventures, said that while the gap between quantum algorithms and hardware is closing, usability remains a critical bottleneck. The new capital will be used to grow the engineering team, build out Rhyme's enterprise platform, and expand a worldwide community of Rhyme developers.
Leadership and Founding Team
RhymeQ was co-founded in 2026 by CEO Daniel Volz, CTO Tamás Varga, and COO Christina Wu. Volz previously led quantum computing initiatives for McKinsey and BASF and co-founded quantum startup Kipu Quantum. Varga, the inventor of Rhyme, spent more than 15 years as a software engineer at Swiss Re and UBS, while Wu completes the leadership team focused on operations.
NVIDIA Integration and Developer Access
RhymeQ came out of stealth at NVIDIA GTC Berlin, where Volz unveiled Rhyme at the NVIDIA Inception startup pitch session. Rhyme is a member of NVIDIA Inception, and the platform compiles directly to the NVIDIA CUDA-Q platform, allowing the same code to run on GPU-accelerated quantum simulators and real quantum processors from multiple hardware providers. Developers on the waitlist can now receive free access to the Rhyme compiler and the Rhyme developer community.
Enterprise Traction and Market Potential
RhymeQ already works with blue-chip enterprise design partners in chemicals, pharma, manufacturing, and mobility. The company is positioning Rhyme to become the default way the world programs quantum computers, particularly as error-corrected hardware arrives. Its approach aims to address a pressing industry concern that quantum hardware advances will not translate into adoption if developers cannot use the systems.
About Ground State Ventures
Ground State Ventures operates a US$88 million global fund that backs early-stage quantum technology startups across computing, sensing, communications, and infrastructure. The firm was established in 2022 by General Partner Ton van 't Noordende and includes team members with physics PhDs from institutions such as Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and UC Berkeley. Its investment team operates across the US, the Netherlands, and the UK.
RhymeQ's Pre-Seed round signals growing investor appetite for tools that bridge quantum hardware and developer usability. By reducing the barrier to quantum programming, the startup aims to expand the pool of developers who can build production-ready quantum applications. As the company scales its enterprise platform and community, Rhyme could become a foundational layer for the next wave of quantum computing adoption.