What Quantum Knight does

Quantum Knight is a Palo Alto-based cybersecurity company founded in 2022 that develops post-quantum cryptography (PQC) software for U.S. government, defense, and critical infrastructure operators. The company's flagship product is the CLEAR cryptosystem, a NIST-aligned, FIPS 140-3 validated software platform built on its proprietary HyperKey authentication layer, delivering encryption strength up to 10,240-bit symmetric equivalence. CLEAR is designed as a software-only deployment requiring no hardware replacement, with a footprint under 500 KB, runtime memory under 1 KB, and integration in as few as 2 lines of code across 30+ platforms. The platform supports dynamic rekeying without downtime, full air-gap support including MILSPEC configuration, and has received FDA Authority to Operate (ATO).

Quantum Knight generates revenue through software licensing of its CLEAR SDK and HyperKey technology. Its go-to-market combines self-serve SDK download from quantumknight.io with channel-led distribution through Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), a non-profit holding CMMC Level 2 certification that recently secured a $21 million Marine Corps cybersecurity contract. Target customers include U.S. federal agencies, defense organizations, and critical infrastructure operators (power grids, water systems, transportation networks, industrial control systems). The company's value proposition centers on enabling migration to quantum-resistant encryption without costly infrastructure redesigns, addressing the anticipated "Q-Day" threat when quantum computers are expected to break current encryption standards.

Name

Quantum Knight

Legal name

Quantum Knight Inc.

Website

https://quantumknight.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Quantum Knight is a Palo Alto-based cybersecurity company that develops NIST-aligned post-quantum cryptography software (CLEAR cryptosystem with HyperKey authentication, FIPS 140-3 validated) for U.S. government, defense, and critical infrastructure operators, distributed via SDK download and channel partner CTC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Post-Quantum Cryptography Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

akta.pro primary industry

Quantum-Safe Data-at-Rest Protection (Storage/Database/File Encryption) (HDAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quantum-Safe Identity, Authentication & Digital Signatures (HDAGAGAG), Quantum-Secure Network & Transport Encryption (VPN/TLS/IPsec/MACsec) (HDAGAGAF)

Keywords

• Post-quantum cryptography
• Quantum-resistant encryption
• Cybersecurity software
• Secure communications
• Cryptographic key management

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: Quantum Knight generates revenue through licensing its CLEAR post-quantum cryptosystem software and HyperKey technology. The software is distributed as an SDK (Clear SDK) targeting government, defense, and critical infrastructure networks. Deployment is software-based with no hardware replacement required.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Quantum Knight develops and sells software-based post-quantum cryptography solutions built on NIST-aligned standards. Its flagship product, the CLEAR cryptosystem, delivers quantum-resistant encryption up to 10,240-bit symmetric key equivalence with an embedded HyperKey authentication layer, deployable in minutes on existing infrastructure without hardware replacement. The company sells primarily through software licensing and SDK distribution to U.S. government, defense, and critical infrastructure operators.

Product overview

Quantum Knight offers a unified product portfolio centered on post-quantum cybersecurity. The core offering is the CLEAR™ post-quantum cryptosystem, a software-only encryption platform built on NIST-aligned standards and Quantum Knight's proprietary HyperKey™ authentication technology. CLEAR provides encryption scalable from 512-bit to 10,240-bit symmetric key equivalence, designed for deployment across government, defense, and industrial systems without requiring hardware replacement. The CLEAR SDK enables developers to integrate post-quantum encryption into existing applications with minimal code changes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CLEAR: A post-quantum cryptosystem software built on NIST-aligned standards and Quantum Knight's HyperKey technology. It provides encryption equivalent to 10,240-bit symmetric keys and can be deployed on existing infrastructure without hardware replacement.
• HyperKey

Products and services

• CLEAR™ Post-Quantum Cryptosystem Software-based post-quantum cryptosystem built on NIST-aligned standards and HyperKey technology, providing encryption scalable from 512-bit to 10,240-bit symmetric key equivalence. Deployable on existing infrastructure without hardware replacement, with rekey over the air, air-gap support, and MILSPEC configuration. Designed for U.S. government, defense, and critical infrastructure operators.
• CLEAR SDK Software Development Kit enabling developers and integrators to embed CLEAR post-quantum cryptography into existing applications. Supports integration in as few as 2 lines of code across 30+ platforms, with an under-500KB footprint for firmware, devices, legacy systems, and cloud environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Encryption strength up to 10,240-bit symmetric equivalence
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 May 2026Quantum Knight partnered with Concurrent Technologies Corp. (CTC) to support the deployment of Quantum Knight's CLEAR post-quantum cryptosystem software for government and industrial networks. CTC, a non-profit, holds CMMC Level 2 certification and recently secured a $21 million Marine Corps cybersecurity contract. CTC supports certification, integration, and deployment of the software-based encryption platform, which already has Authority to Operate from the FDA. This partnership enables deployment across federal, defense, and critical infrastructure environments without costly redesigns or downtime.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Qrypt: Qrypt provides quantum-secure encryption and key generation services, targeting government, defense, and critical-infrastructure customers with software-delivered PQC solutions overlapping Quantum Knight's market.
• PQShield: PQShield provides NIST-aligned post-quantum cryptographic IP and software solutions for hardware, firmware, and software, with a comparable product portfolio and similar focus on embedded and IoT endpoints.
• SandboxAQ: SandboxAQ is a well-capitalized post-quantum and AI cybersecurity company offering quantum-safe cryptography and communication solutions to government and enterprise, competing head-to-head with Quantum Knight in the federal PQC market.
• QuSecure: QuSecure is a post-quantum cryptography company offering software-based PQC solutions for government and enterprise customers, directly competing with Quantum Knight's CLEAR platform in the U.S. federal and critical-infrastructure market.
• ISARA Corporation: ISARA is a PQC-focused security company providing quantum-safe cryptographic solutions and migration tools for governments and enterprises, with overlapping product capabilities to Quantum Knight's CLEAR.

Emerging players

• Crypto4A Technologies: Crypto4A builds quantum-safe hardware security modules and related PQC infrastructure, addressing similar federal and critical-infrastructure customers with a more hardware-centric but adjacent offering.

Broad incumbents

• Cloudflare Post-Quantum: Cloudflare has deployed post-quantum TLS across its network, setting a de facto standard for PQC in transit encryption. While it does not directly sell to defense end-customers, it raises the baseline for what PQC must deliver.
• Thales Quantum Resistant Crypto: Thales provides quantum-resistant cryptographic solutions and hardware security modules as part of its broader data security portfolio, serving similar government, defense, and critical-infrastructure customers.
• AWS Post-Quantum Cryptography: AWS has integrated post-quantum cryptography into core services such as KMS and TLS, providing NIST-aligned PQC as a managed cloud capability. This creates indirect competitive pressure on standalone PQC software vendors like Quantum Knight.
• IBM Quantum Safe: IBM offers a broad quantum-safe cryptography portfolio spanning infrastructure, applications, and services. While it competes with Quantum Knight in the PQC space, IBM addresses the market as part of a much larger enterprise software and services stack.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/quantumknight
• GitHubgithub.com/quantumknight
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnkM0sge
• Facebookfacebook.com/quantumknight
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quantum-knight
• Instagraminstagram.com/quantumknight

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Quantum Knight