A University of Leeds spin-out building passwordless, quantum-safe encryption for logging in and exchanging keys, based in the North of England.
Cavero Quantum is developing a new way to prove who you are online and to swap secret keys safely. Today, most of us log in with passwords, one-time codes and multi-factor checks, and much of the encryption behind them relies on mathematics that future quantum computers could break. Cavero's technology generates keys and authenticates users without a password, works with existing hardware, needs little bandwidth and is designed to resist attacks from quantum computers. It is aimed at replacing multi-factor authentication and one-time passwords. Chief executive James Trenholme has said it is the first solution in the world that can replace security standards such as ECDH, a widely used method for agreeing keys. That is the company's own claim and we have not tested it.
The company was spun out of the University of Leeds and was founded by Professor Ben Varcoe, who remains Professor of Quantum Information Science in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Leeds, and Dr Frey Wilson, who became chief technology officer. In 2024 the company said it would use its new backing to commercialise the technology and launch its first product. Its stated aim is to help individuals, businesses and nations work safely in a post-quantum world, a phrase used in the announcement by Northern Gritstone, one of its investors. We did not find a separate mission or values page on a company website.
Cavero is a UK company in the North of England. Pages we read describe it as a Leeds spin-out, and the Sheffield and Leeds research cluster around it is one of the places the UK is building quantum technology. Before its 2024 announcement the founders took part in the NG Studios venture-building programme in Leeds, run by Northern Gritstone, which was launched in 2021 by the universities of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield. We could not confirm an office address.
The leadership pairs science with business experience. James Trenholme is described as a software entrepreneur who previously founded and sold an identity services start-up, and Andrew Wallace chairs the board, with experience in quantum computing and deep-tech companies. Professor Varcoe stays at the university while supporting the company, which is a common arrangement for spin-outs and keeps the research link alive. We found no description of the day-to-day culture and no headcount, so we cannot say how big the team is.
Roles in a quantum security company include physicists and mathematicians who design and prove the methods, software engineers who turn them into products, security engineers who test them, and product, sales and operations people who find customers. Maths, physics, computer science and cyber security are the usual starting points. Check Cavero's own website and the University of Leeds news pages for how it has developed since 2024.
Website: caveroquantum.com
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