Graduate Ventures, a Dutch early-stage investment firm, has celebrated its 80th investment by backing FrostByte, a Delft-based quantum startup specializing in cryogenic control electronics. The investment is part of a €1.3 million ($1.5 million USD) funding round that includes participation from InnovationQuarter Capital, UNIIQ, Paeonia Group, and an undisclosed angel investor. Reaching this milestone exactly five years after its 2021 launch, Graduate Ventures has solidified its position as one of the most active pre-seed and seed investors in the Netherlands, focusing on TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Erasmus MC spin-offs.
Cryo-CMOS Technology for Scalable Quantum Systems
FrostByte, a spin-off from TU Delft and QuTech, addresses one of the primary scaling bottlenecks in quantum computing: the “cabling and heat” challenge. As quantum processors scale to millions of qubits, the traditional method of keeping control electronics at room temperature—connected via massive bundles of coaxial cables—becomes physically impossible due to heat generation and space constraints. FrostByte develops specialized cryo-CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) chips and cryogenic switches designed to operate inside the dilution refrigerator at temperatures near absolute zero (4 K and below). By moving the control architecture closer to the quantum processor, FrostByte aims to make quantum systems significantly more compact, power-efficient, and scalable.
Industrializing Fundamental Research
The startup is led by co-founders James Kroll (CEO) and Luc Enthoven (CTO), with scientific support from Fabio Sebastiano and Masoud Babaie, both internationally recognized pioneers in cryogenic integrated circuits. The capital from this round will be used to expand the team and accelerate the transition from academic research to manufacturable hardware. FrostByte’s roadmap includes scaling the production of its proprietary cryogenic switches and developing integrated circuits that can control and read out quantum devices locally. This “short-wire” approach is essential for the transition from laboratory prototypes to the industrial-scale quantum computers required for drug discovery, logistics, and materials science.
Graduate Ventures and the Delft Quantum Ecosystem
The investment in FrostByte aligns with Graduate Ventures’ broader strategy of backing key deep-tech pillars, particularly within the Delft quantum cluster. The firm was an early investor in QuantWare, another QuTech spin-off that recently secured a €152 million Series B round to scale its superconducting QPU fabrication. By leveraging a “Giving Back” culture through a network of over 200 experienced alumni and entrepreneurs, Graduate Ventures provides its portfolio companies with more than just capital, facilitating over 600 strategic connections to date. Managing Partner Auke van den Hout noted that FrostByte represents the strength of the Dutch knowledge economy in translating fundamental science directly into global industrial applications.
You can find the official announcement regarding Graduate Ventures’ milestone investment in FrostByte here and the technical funding details from InnovationQuarter here.
May 9, 2026
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