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Quantum-Si
Quantum-Si is a commercial-stage protein sequencing firm founded by Jonathan Rothberg.
Quantum-Si
Quantum-Si was founded in 2013 by Jonathan Rothberg, whose earlier ventures — 454, Ion Torrent, Butterfly Network — repeatedly reshaped DNA sequencing and medical imaging. The firm's core invention is a semiconductor chip that captures fluorescent signals as single proteins, then interprets those signals to reveal amino acid sequences and post-translational modifications. Rothberg incubated the technology inside his Guilford, Connecticut research campus before the 2021 business combination with HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp. gave the business a standalone public listing. The firm's commercial strategy targets the $25 billion proteomics market (per the firm's investor materials, 2023), positioning its Platinum system as a replacement for traditional mass spectrometry workflows. The instrument pairs with cloud-based analysis software — Platinum performs a peptide-level scan, and the firm's software identifies the underlying protein — a workflow that academic researchers at UCLA and Harvard Medical School have cited in early-access studies published in Science and Nature Biotechnology. The firm also markets a library preparation kit, and its installed base of instruments generates recurring kit revenue in a razor-and-blade model. Team size is not publicly disclosed, but the firm maintains a single office and R&D site in Branford formerly part of Rothberg's 4Catalyzer incubator. In January 2024, CEO Jeff Hawkins — a long-tenured Illumina executive who joined Quantum-Si in 2022 — detailed a pivot toward commercial execution over pure R&D investment, cutting operating expenses to extend cash runway (per the firm's Q4 2023 earnings call). Hawkins previously led Illumina's global sequencing business before moving to the smaller proteomics entrant. Quantum-Si's structural differentiator is its integrated chip-plus-cloud model. Unlike Bruker or Thermo Fisher, which sell mass spectrometers and software separately and depend on centralized core labs, Quantum-Si aims to place a benchtop protein sequencer in individual PIs' labs and charge a recurring annual usage fee per instrument — a model it cannot yet prove at commercial scale.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2013
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Branford
Corporate office
Branford, CT, United States
Principals
Jonathan Rothberg
Founder
Jeff Hawkins
Chief Executive Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Is Quantum-Si an operating company or a portfolio investment?
Quantum-Si is a standalone, publicly traded operating company (Nasdaq: QSI). It is not a family office or an allocation vehicle. It went public in 2021 via a SPAC merger with HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp. and sells the Platinum protein sequencing platform directly to end users. The firm generates revenue from instrument placements and associated consumable kit sales.
How does Quantum-Si's protein sequencing technology differ from mass spectrometry?
Quantum-Si's Platinum instrument uses a semiconductor chip to detect fluorescent signals from immobilized single peptides, then computationally reconstructs the amino acid sequence and any post-translational modifications. Traditional mass spectrometry ionizes a protein, fragments it, and measures mass-to-charge ratios — a workflow that requires larger sample volumes, centralized core facilities, and expert operators. Quantum-Si claims single-molecule sensitivity and a benchtop form factor that allows individual biology labs to decouple from core-facility scheduling bottlenecks.
Who is the founder and what else has he built?
Jonathan Rothberg founded Quantum-Si in 2013. He previously founded 454 Life Sciences, which developed the first massively parallel DNA sequencer and was sold to Roche in 2007. He then founded Ion Torrent, a semiconductor-based DNA sequencing firm sold to Life Technologies (later Thermo Fisher) in 2010. He later spun out Butterfly Network, which makes a handheld ultrasound-on-a-chip device that went public in 2021. His 4Catalyzer incubator in Guilford, Connecticut has incubated each of these ventures.
What is the firm's revenue or installed base?
The firm has not disclosed a precise installed base count — it reports instrument placements and consumables revenue quarterly as a public company. In its Q1 2024 earnings filing, the firm disclosed total revenue of $0.3 million for the quarter, reflecting early-stage commercial adoption with the shift from pre-launch collaborations to paid placements beginning in mid-2023.
What is Quantum-Si's relationship to Illumina?
Quantum-Si has no corporate affiliation with Illumina. The connection is operational and executive — CEO Jeff Hawkins joined Quantum-Si in 2022 after a long career at Illumina, where he led the firm's global sequencing and microarray business, including product management for the NovaSeq and NextSeq platforms. His hiring signal a focus on instrument commercialization and competitive positioning against legacy proteomics incumbents.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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