As quantum computing edges closer to reality, the pressure on organisations to future-proof their security infrastructure is mounting. Cavero Quantum, a spin-out from the University of Leeds, is tackling this challenge head-on with post-quantum cryptography and authentication designed for even the most constrained devices. The Gurus spoke to James Trenholme, Co-Founder and CEO of Cavero Quantum, about its technology, the current threat landscape and how government-backed programmes, like CyberASAP, have supported the company’s journey so far.
Tell us about yourself and Cavero Quantum.
“Cavero Quantum is a spin-out from the University of Leeds. It spun out about two and a bit years ago after receiving funding from Northern Gritstone and Foresight Partners. I joined the business officially at that time as CEO, although I’d been involved six to twelve months earlier advising on go-to-market strategy, pitch decks, and fundraising.”
“The original founders, Frey and Ben, are academics from the University of Leeds. They came through the CyberASAP programme and structured the initial proposition around the technology they’d built. When I joined, they already had a working demo, which gave us something tangible to build on.”
CyberASAP, which is funded by the UK Government Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and delivered by Innovate UK, is a commercialisation programme that helps industry-engaged academic teams turn cybersecurity research into market-ready solutions. Through a structured, phased approach, the programme supports teams to shape their value proposition, validate market need and develop a working proof of concept, giving them something tangible to build on as they move toward market readiness.
“My background is mainly in telecommunications, identity, fraud and authentication. I previously built and sold a company focused on mobile identity and fraud prevention, so when I saw what Cavero had developed around post-quantum secure authentication, it immediately resonated.”
What problem does your technology solve, and why does it matter right now?
“All of our digital communications are underpinned by encryption, and encryption is underpinned by keys. The quality of how those keys are created determines how secure everything on top of them really is.”
“Quantum computers will be extremely good at solving the complex maths problems that most of today’s cryptography relies on. In theory, that means a lot of the encryption we use today could be broken.”
“Cavero has invented a new way of doing post-quantum cryptography, and more importantly, a new way of exchanging keys. What makes it different is that it works in very constrained environments – small devices with low power, low memory and low bandwidth.”
“Our technology can fit on something as small as a SIM card. That opens up secure, post-quantum communications for things like IoT devices, sensors and embedded systems that other approaches simply can’t support.”
“On top of that, we’ve created a passwordless, frictionless authentication solution. It removes the need for passwords, tokens or SMS codes (all the things that are routinely intercepted today) and allows two parties to authenticate each other securely.”
“While quantum is often seen as a future problem, this technology actually helps stop fraud, scams and breaches happening today.”
How has CyberASAP and wider government support influenced Cavero Quantum’s journey?
“The CyberASAP scheme is great. The idea of helping academics flesh out a proposition, build a proposal around it and present it, and then receive funding to build an MVP, worked really well for Cavero.”
“When I joined the company, they already had a working demo that had been funded through that kind of programme. It allowed people to visualise the technology, which is hugely important at that early stage.”
“There is quite a big gap between early-stage academic startups and being ready for investor backing, particularly if there isn’t a commercial founder in the team. But the initial support CyberASAP provides is really useful and gives companies a solid starting point.”
“I’ve since been involved as an alumnus and I’m currently taking part in Plexal’s Cyber Runway, which I’m finding very useful. It helps you think about how that progression happens as a company.”
Where do you see Cavero Quantum in 12 months’ time?
“For the first 18 months after spinning out, we focused on turning university research into a commercial product. Over the last six months, we’ve been testing it with early partners in real-world environments.”
“Over the next 12 months, the focus is on expanding those trials across different use cases – in telco, defence and communications networks – and building solid proof points.”
“By this time next year, I’d like us to have a finished platform with a strong set of customer reference points, so we can push much harder into the market.”
“We’ll also be preparing for a scale-up round (a Series A) so that we can grow the team and take the technology further.”
“Longer term, we want to work with standards bodies like NIST and ETSI to validate the technology. Getting adopted into standards takes time, but that’s where we ultimately want to be.”
On the 25th February 2026 in London, various successful alumni, like CybPass and FACT360, took part in CyberASAP’s Demo Day as part of the alumni showcase. CyberASAP Demo Day also featured the 14 final teams in this year’s cohort who will be pitched and demonstrated their proofs of concept.
