Pasqal CEO warns Europe’s quantum firms face systemic disadvantage, prompting US listing consideration
Executive summary: Pasqal’s CEO warned that European quantum firms face a systematic disadvantage versus US rivals and said the company is evaluating a US listing via a SPAC. The statement highlights structural challenges for Europe’s deep‑tech sector and could shift capital and talent toward US markets, affecting European quantum competitiveness.
Who is involved: Pasqal CEO Wasiq Bokhari, Pasqal company, European quantum‑tech investors, US SPAC sponsors, the SEC.
Likely next (inference): Pasqal will proceed with SEC review of its SPAC filing submitted on July 10 2026; if cleared, it will pursue a US market debut, potentially setting a valuation benchmark for other European quantum firms.
Pasqal’s chief executive warned that European quantum‑computing firms operate at a structural disadvantage relative to their US counterparts, citing limited access to scale‑up capital and market demand. He indicated that the company is exploring a US stock‑market listing through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) to overcome those constraints. The remarks come after Pasqal disclosed a recent funding round exceeding $500 million and a valuation approaching 100× revenue in its SPAC filing. Analysts note that such a move could redirect investment flows and highlight gaps in Europe’s deep‑tech financing ecosystem.
Timeline
- — ‘We are at a systematic disadvantage in Europe’: Pasqal CEO on listing in the US (Sifted — EU startups)
Analysis — what this means
Likely next events
- Pasqal’s SPAC filing submitted on July 10 2026 triggers the standard SEC review process
Sectors affected
- Quantum computing
- European deep‑tech financing
Regulatory implications
- SEC oversight of SPAC transactions under Regulation A+
Historical parallels
- 2021 IonQ SPAC merger with dMY Technology Group, valued at approximately $2 billion
- 2020 Rigetti Computing explored a SPAC route before withdrawing
Key entities
Sources
- ‘We are at a systematic disadvantage in Europe’: Pasqal CEO on listing in the US — Sifted — EU startups