Atomionics raises seed funding

Singapore: Atomionics, a Singapore-based startup building quantum sensors for navigation and resource exploration, has raised an undisclosed sum in seed funding.

Led by Wavemaker Partners in partnership with SGInnovate and Cap Vista, the round also saw participation from 500 Durians, Apsara Investments, 6th Horizon, Entrepreneur First, and other prominent angels.

With the new funding, the startup plans to ramp up its hiring process, further enhance its product and deliver it to the market.

Atomionics was founded in 2018 by Sahil Tapiawala and Ravi Kumar who met with each other at the Entrepreneur First incubator program.

Before founding the startup, Kumar conducted his post-doctoral research in cold atom physics at the Center for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore, while Tapiawala completed his research in multi-material 3D printing and soft robots at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

The startup aims to build an atomic sensing technology for navigation and exploration using quantum sensors, which can pinpoint mineral and hydrocarbon reserves, provide precise navigation and create a universal positioning system that works in places like underground, underwater, and space.

“At Atomionics, we realized the common factor amongst industries like mineral and resource exploration, defense and security is the measurement of gravity, acceleration, and rotation. We measure these three parameters exponentially better than the current state of the art by utilizing atoms as measurement tools,” said Tapiawala.

“What excites us the most is that we can build a completely new global positioning system without the need for any satellites or external signals through gravity-aided navigation and positioning that works anywhere – underwater, underground, and even in space,” he added.