Y Combinator Application

Company name:

Warpeed (Warpeed Technologies Inc.)

Describe your company in 50 words or less:

Warpeed develops quantum-optimized metamaterials for laser propulsion. Near-term revenue: satellite deorbiting and aerospace materials licensing ($250M market). Long-term vision: first interstellar probe to α Centauri. Validated on IBM's 133-qubit quantum computer.

What are you building and why?

We're building ultra-thin metamaterial lightsails optimized via quantum computing for laser propulsion in space. This technology has two revenue streams:

                    Near-term (Years 1-5): Satellite deorbiting systems and CubeSat propulsion modules
                    $50M satellite deorbiting market
$200M CubeSat propulsion market
Material licensing to Boeing, Airbus, SpaceX
Quantum optimization SaaS for aerospace ($50K/month/client)

                

                    Long-term (Years 15-20): First interstellar probe to α Centauri
                    Government consortium funding (NASA, ESA, JAXA)
other interstellar initiatives partnership
Commercial payload slots ($10M each)

                

Why now? The space debris crisis (10,000+ satellites) needs solutions. CubeSat industry is exploding. Quantum computing is finally mature enough for materials optimization. We've already validated our design on IBM's 133-qubit hardware.

What's your progress / traction so far?

Technical Validation:

512,000 design configurations tested on NVIDIA A100 GPU
8,557 scenarios validated on IBM Torino (133-qubit quantum processor)
85.87% manufacturability confirmed
4 IBM Quantum jobs executed with verifiable job IDs
Complete technical specifications and supplier validation

Pre-seed Stage:

Solo technical founder with quantum computing background
Professional website with research page (peer-reviewable)
NASA NIAC grant application in progress ($2M)
Initial conversations with aerospace primes

How will you make money?

Revenue Model (100x annual growth target):

                    Year 1 ($500K): Consulting contracts
                    3-5 material optimization projects at $100K-200K each
Quantum computing consulting for aerospace companies

                

                    Year 2 ($5M): First products
                    10cm × 10cm prototype sales to research institutions
SaaS platform launch ($50K/month per customer)
Patent licensing begins

                

                    Year 3-4 ($3M → $50M): Manufacturing scale-up
                    Satellite deorbiting contracts ($5M-10M each)
CubeSat propulsion modules ($500K-1M each)
20+ commercial customers

                

                    Year 5+ ($300M): Market leader
                    100+ enterprise customers globally
Dominant position in space propulsion materials
IPO or strategic acquisition consideration

                

What's your unfair advantage?

Quantum-validated design: Only company with lightsail optimization proven on real quantum hardware (IBM Torino, 133 qubits). Competitors use classical simulations only.
First-mover in quantum aerospace: Unique combination of quantum computing + materials science + aerospace. No direct competitors in this exact niche.
Capital efficiency: Our design costs $254B total vs. other interstellar initiatives's $500B, while being 2× cheaper per mission.
Near-term revenue unlock: Unlike pure interstellar missions (21-year timelines), we generate revenue in Year 1 from aerospace materials.
Technical moat: 3-5 core patents pending. Quantum optimization algorithms are trade secrets. 85.87% manufacturability gives us production advantage.

Who are your competitors and how do you differentiate?

Direct Competitors:

other interstellar initiatives: $500B budget, 21-year mission, no near-term revenue model. We're 2× cheaper with revenue from Day 1.
Rocket Lab (Photon): Traditional chemical propulsion. We offer laser propulsion - no propellant needed, lighter weight.
Morpheus Space: Electric propulsion for satellites. Different technology, slower acceleration.

Differentiation:

Only quantum-validated design in the industry
Hybrid business model: near-term revenue + long-term vision
Smaller sails (32 m² vs. Starshot's 16 m²) = easier manufacturing
Lower cost per mission while maintaining performance

Why are YOU the right person to build this?

Heinz Jungbluth Ganoza - Solo Founder & CEO
Quantum computing researcher focused on advanced materials for space propulsion
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/heinzjungbluthganoza

Why I'm uniquely qualified:

Quantum computing expertise: Led quantum optimization validated on IBM's 133-qubit Torino processor. 8,557 scenarios tested with 100% success rate.
Technical depth: Personally wrote all optimization code (GPU + quantum). Can speak credibly to aerospace engineers and quantum researchers.
Lean execution: Solo founder advantage = capital efficiency. Built entire technical validation with <$5K cloud computing budget.
Long-term commitment: This is a 20-year mission. Need founder who's technically deep AND willing to build for decades.

                    Team Plan Post-Funding:
                    Co-founder CTO: PhD Materials Science, ex-NASA JPL/SpaceX (15-25% equity)
Chief Scientist: PhD Physics/Quantum, 10+ publications (5-10% equity)
VP Business Development: 10+ years aerospace sales (3-7% equity)

                

What do you need from Y Combinator?

Network access: Introductions to Founders Fund, Lux Capital, a16z (deep tech specialists). Connections to aerospace primes (Boeing, Airbus, SpaceX).
Go-to-market strategy: How to land first 10 customers in aerospace (notoriously slow sales cycles). Advice on government contracting (NASA, DARPA).
Hiring: Help recruiting world-class CTO and Chief Scientist. Access to YC talent network.
Credibility boost: YC badge opens doors in aerospace/defense. Helps with NASA NIAC application and private investment partnerships partnership.
Fundraising guidance: Deep tech requires patient capital. Need guidance on structuring Series A for hardware + long R&D cycles.

How much money are you raising and what will you do with it?

Raising: $2M Seed Round

                    Use of Funds (18-month runway):
                    $800K (40%) - Team:
                            Co-founder CTO + equity
Chief Scientist + equity
2 Senior Engineers

                        
$600K (30%) - Prototype Development:
                            10cm × 10cm lightsail fabrication
Ground-based laser testing (1 MW)
Materials characterization equipment

                        
$400K (20%) - IP & Legal:
                            3-5 core patent applications
Legal entity setup (Delaware C-Corp)
Contract negotiations

                        
$200K (10%) - Operations:
                            Cloud computing (quantum + GPU)
Office space / lab access
Business development travel

                        

                

Milestones to hit with $2M:

10cm prototype demonstrated
First 3-5 commercial contracts signed ($500K revenue)
NASA NIAC grant secured ($2M)
Series A raise ($15M) from Founders Fund or Lux Capital

Link to 1-minute video:

📊 Pitch Deck: View YC Pitch Deck on Canva

Video Script (reference):

[0:00-0:10] Hook:
"In 2053, humanity will see close-up images of another star system for the first time. We're the company making that happen."

[0:10-0:25] Problem:
"Space debris is a $50M problem. CubeSats need better propulsion. And we're not an interstellar species yet. All three need the same solution: ultra-efficient laser propulsion."

[0:25-0:40] Solution:
"I'm Heinz, and I've built quantum-optimized metamaterials validated on IBM's 133-qubit computer. We generate revenue TODAY selling to aerospace companies, while building toward humanity's first interstellar probe."

[0:40-0:50] Traction:
"512,000 configurations tested. 85% manufacturability confirmed. Targeting $300M revenue by year 5."

[0:50-1:00] Ask:
"We're raising $2M to build prototypes and hire our co-founder CTO. Join us in making humanity an interstellar species."

Y Combinator Application

Ready to Review