Quantum Cat raises KRW 5B Series B led by ES Investor for gold nanocatalyst commercialization

Quantum Cat Secures KRW 5 Billion Series B

Quantum Cat (퀀텀캣), a South Korean deep-tech materials company, has raised KRW 5 billion in Series B funding. The round was led by ES Investor, with participation from Hanwha Asset Management and Daejeon Investment Finance. The funding was announced on September 17, 2026.

What Quantum Cat Does

Quantum Cat is known as the first company to commercialize gold nanocatalysts. Its technology holds gold nanoparticles inside proprietary silica nanocages, a structure that allows the particles to retain their catalytic activity at room temperature.

The company's catalysts decompose carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and fluorinated greenhouse gases without requiring extra heating. This room-temperature operation is the core differentiator of the platform and underpins its positioning across several emissions and air-quality markets.

Target Applications

Quantum Cat's catalyst technology is aimed at a range of industrial and consumer use cases:

• Semiconductor emissions abatement — treating exhaust streams from semiconductor manufacturing
• Industrial odor control — managing odors in industrial settings
• Appliance odor control — integrating catalytic treatment into consumer appliances
• Hydrogen and energy applications — catalyst use in hydrogen and broader energy contexts

The combination of semiconductor, industrial, appliance, and energy end markets gives the company multiple commercial channels from a single materials platform.

Company Background

Quantum Cat was founded in 2019 in Daejeon, South Korea, by Kang Shin-hyun, a KAIST-trained physicist. The company operates its own mass-production line, an important detail for a deep-tech materials business: it means Quantum Cat controls manufacturing rather than depending entirely on third-party production.

The company supplies major Korean industrial and consumer-electronics partners, according to its company profile. That partner base aligns with the semiconductor and appliance applications the catalyst platform targets.

Why This Round Matters

A Series B at KRW 5 billion signals that Quantum Cat has moved beyond early technical validation toward scaling. For a materials company, the transition from lab-scale demonstration to mass production is typically the most capital-intensive phase, and Quantum Cat has already stood up its own production line.

The investor mix is notable. ES Investor led the round, while Hanwha Asset Management and Daejeon Investment Finance participated. Daejeon Investment Finance's involvement is consistent with the company's Daejeon base, one of South Korea's principal deep-tech and research hubs.

Acquisition Angle

Quantum Cat sits at the intersection of several strategic priorities for larger industrial and materials players:

• Emissions abatement is a growing compliance and cost concern for semiconductor fabs and heavy industry.
• Room-temperature catalysis removes the energy penalty associated with conventional thermal catalytic processes, a meaningful operational advantage.
• Proprietary silica nanocage architecture represents defensible intellectual property in a specialized materials niche.
• Existing supply relationships with major Korean industrial and consumer-electronics partners provide a ready channel for acquirers seeking immediate commercial traction.

For strategic buyers in specialty chemicals, environmental technologies, semiconductor supply chains, or hydrogen and energy, Quantum Cat offers a commercialized catalyst platform with an owned production line and an established Korean customer base. The Series B capital positions the company to expand capacity and deepen penetration into its target markets.

Summary

• Company: Quantum Cat (퀀텀캣)
• Round: Series B
• Amount: KRW 5 billion
• Lead investor: ES Investor
• Other investors: Hanwha Asset Management, Daejeon Investment Finance
• Announced: September 17, 2026
• Founded: 2019, Daejeon, South Korea
• Founder: Kang Shin-hyun, KAIST-trained physicist
• Focus: Commercialized gold nanocatalysts for emissions abatement, odor control, and energy applications