Diffraqtion Raises $5M+ from Lockheed
Quantum imaging startup Diffraqtion has added over $5 million to its pre-seed round, bringing total funding past $10 million.
Quantum imaging startup Diffraqtion announced more than $5 million in new funding on Monday. The investment more than doubles the company's pre-seed round, which first closed in January.
Lockheed Martin Ventures and Sumitomo Corporation's Presidio Ventures provided the new capital. This brings Diffraqtion's total funding to over $10 million. Other new investors include the SBI US Gateway Fund with Plug and Play, Collaborative Fund, and TekVentures.
According to the company, its January pre-seed round totaled $4.2 million. That round saw participation from QDNL Participations, milemark•capital, Aether VC, and ADIN. Diffraqtion also secured a separate $1.5 million contract from DARPA's SBIR Direct-to-Phase II program.
The Quantum Camera Mission
The Massachusetts-based company is developing cameras for space applications. It uses quantum imaging and artificial intelligence. The technology aims to spot distant objects or see closer ones clearly with a much smaller lens.
The goal is to reduce both processing time and cost. Diffraqtion claims the tech provides high-end capability for a fraction of the usual price.
"For as long as cameras have existed, seeing farther has meant building bigger optics," CEO and cofounder Johannes Galatsanos said in a statement. "Our cameras break that paradigm, delivering better mission capability at a fraction of the aperture, size, and cost."
Recent Milestones and NASA Work
Since emerging from stealth earlier this year, Diffraqtion has achieved several key goals. The company demonstrated its technology at a terrestrial observatory. It also secured a Phase I SBIR award from NASA for tracking space debris.
Also, Diffraqtion won NASA's Space to Soil Challenge. In this competition, companies designed small-satellite missions using advanced computing to study Earth. The victory came with a $100,000 prize.
Funding for Flight Heritage
The latest capital injection will support Diffraqtion's next major phase: achieving flight heritage in orbit. Company officials plan to launch a hosted payload on an unnamed spacecraft. To help manage this transition, Peter Kazlas will join the team as head of engineering.
The new funding highlights investor confidence in quantum imaging for space. It aims to move the technology from laboratory demonstrations to operational space missions. For more on the company's technical progress, see our stats page, and for details on its team expansion, visit the squad section.
