This Set-Up Made Me 1,400%

Something interesting is happening in quantum computing. And for once, I’m not talking about a computer solving some impossible math problem that none of us understand.

I’m talking about money.

Quantum stocks caught fire again on Friday. D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) gained 7%, Rigetti Computing (RGTI) jumped 9%, IonQ (IONQ) rallied more than 7%, and Quantum Computing (QUBT) added 8%.

Two of the newest publicly traded quantum companies, IQM Quantum Computers (IQMX) and Infleqtion (INFQ), joined the party as well.

We’ve seen quantum stocks make crazy moves before. That’s nothing new. What caught my attention this time was what happened before the rally.

For years, investing in quantum required a healthy imagination. We heard about qubits, error correction, quantum supremacy, and machines that could someday solve problems that would take today’s supercomputers longer than the age of the universe.

Very cool story. But eventually, as an investor, you want somebody to pay you for it.

That’s beginning to happen.

IonQ’s second-quarter revenue surged 287% from a year ago to $80.1 million. Quantum Computing reported $5.6 million versus just $65,000 a year earlier. Infleqtion’s revenue jumped 112%, while recently public IQM reported 27% growth.

D-Wave may be even more interesting. It’s already generating commercial revenue from its annealing quantum computers and has sold two complete systems this year. It’s estimated D-Wave is attacking a potential quantum market worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Meanwhile, IBM (IBM) just reached another important technical milestone. The company successfully connected and cooled two cryogenic modules in a single environment, moving it another step toward its goal of building a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer.

We’re still early. Very early. But we’re no longer talking only about what quantum computers might be able to do someday.

Customers are starting to pull out their wallets.

And that’s a transition I’ve learned to pay attention to.

This transition from interesting technology to real business reminds me of a little-known company I recommended back in 2019: Impinj (PI).

At the time, Impinj was valued at just $350 million and was one of the leaders in RAIN RFID, tiny wireless chips that allow businesses to identify and track physical objects. Put a tag on a shirt, package, piece of equipment, or even a marathon runner and suddenly that object can communicate information digitally.

The technology itself wasn’t new. RFID had been around for decades. But I believed something important was changing.

The Internet of Things (IoT) was taking off, and billions of everyday objects were beginning to get connected to the internet. Impinj’s technology was already being used by companies like Macy’s, Zara, and Coca-Cola, as well as at airports and major sporting events.

I wrote something at the time that still sums up how I like to invest in emerging technologies:

“This is when we want to buy - when the company is showing improvement and seeing its revenue start to increase.”

That’s exactly what happened. I recommended Impinj at $15.99, and as adoption accelerated and the business grew, the stock eventually reached $247.06 - a gain of more than 1,400%.

Not bad for a $350 million company most investors had never heard of.

I bring up Impinj because the lesson applies directly to what we’re seeing in quantum today. I don’t necessarily want to invest when somebody first invents a revolutionary technology. That can be years (or decades) too early.

I get much more interested when the technology begins crossing the line from interesting science to a real business.

That’s what I saw happening with Impinj in 2019. And with quantum companies now reporting triple-digit revenue growth, selling complete systems, and attracting paying customers, I believe we may be approaching a similar inflection point today.

OpenAI and Anthropic could be two of the biggest AI IPOs Wall Street has seen in years.

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MarketBeat’s 7 AI Stocks to Buy Now report reveals 7 publicly traded companies already positioned to benefit as the next wave of AI investment moves beyond the private model providers.

These are the stocks investors can buy today, before the IPO crowd rushes in.

See the 7 stocks

The potential applications are enormous. Quantum computers could eventually help discover new drugs, develop advanced materials, optimize global supply chains, advance AI, and solve certain problems that today’s computers simply can’t handle efficiently.

Nobody knows which application becomes quantum’s killer app. And we certainly don’t know which companies will ultimately become the winners. That’s part of the fun… and part of the risk.

Right now, I’m watching a handful of stocks in the ecosystem.

I’m not just looking for the company with the most qubits or the best press release. I want to see who keeps improving the technology, who attracts serious customers, and most importantly, who turns those customers into rapidly growing revenue.

There will be losers. Probably a lot of them. There will also be ridiculous rallies followed by stomach-churning sell-offs.

Welcome to investing early in an emerging technology.

But that’s also where some of the biggest opportunities can be found. Impinj taught us a great lesson: A technology can spend decades being “the future” before the business opportunity finally arrives.

Quantum computing has been the future for a very long time.

The numbers we’re seeing today suggest it may finally be getting a little closer to the present. And if that transition is really underway, I want to be paying attention now, not after everyone on Wall Street figures it out.

P.S. Speaking of catching things early, Bryan Bottarelli is about to reveal something worth clearing your calendar for.

He's calling it his FLIP strategy, built around a very specific setup that's already targeted gains as high as 224%, 384%, and even 667% in a single night.

Bryan's going live this Thursday, August 27, to break down exactly how it works… the setup, the timing, all of it.

I don't say this about other people's strategies often, but the same instinct that told me quantum was worth watching before Wall Street noticed is telling me this one's worth a few minutes of your time.

Save your seat before Thursday.

Here’s to the future, 

Matt McCall
Editor, Market Insights