IBM (NYSE: IBM) has rallied roughly 20% since mid-August as the Armonk-headquartered firm continued to shed its legacy image and emerge as a serious contender in quantum computing. ...

Core Insights - The 2025 European Deep Tech Report highlights the potential of Europe to become a global hub for Deep Tech, emphasizing the need for a stronger entrepreneurial culture and investment in scientific breakthroughs [1][4][7] Group 1: Definition and Misconceptions - Deep Tech is defined as the application of scientific and engineering breakthroughs to create new products, requiring significant capital investment and longer revenue timelines [4][24] - Common misconceptions include the belief that Deep Tech companies fail more often and require more time to exit compared to regular tech companies, while in reality, their failure rates are comparable [21][29] Group 2: European Deep Tech Opportunity - Europe is home to six of the top 20 universities and nine of the top 25 research institutions globally, providing a strong foundation for Deep Tech development [1][4] - The report suggests focusing on centers of excellence like Oxford and Cambridge to foster a more robust founder ecosystem [4][6] Group 3: Funding Landscape - In 2024, European Deep Tech VC funding reached €15 billion, a 28% decline from the 2021 peak, but still better than the 60% drop in regular tech funding [1][4] - The UK, France, and Germany are the leading markets, with London, Paris, and Munich as key hubs for investment [1][4][6] Group 4: Segment Deep Dives - Key sectors attracting investment include novel AI, future computing, novel energy, space tech, resilience technologies, computational biology, and robotics, with significant funding rounds reported [1][5] - Notable funding examples include Wayve in autonomous driving with $1.1 billion, Mistral AI in foundational models with $500 million, and Sunfire in hydrogen energy with €215 million [1][5] Group 5: Founder Resources - Founders are encouraged to adopt a milestone-based approach to de-risking their ventures and to present their business plans using scientific methods [6] - The report emphasizes the importance of diversifying funding sources beyond equity, particularly for hardware startups [6] Group 6: Challenges and Recommendations - The report identifies challenges such as the need for more entrepreneurs in Deep Tech, harmonization of university spinout terms, and the importance of government and corporate customers [6][7] - Recommendations include enhancing talent clusters, increasing the base of institutional investors, and promoting diversity among founders and investors [6][7]

Group 1: Rigetti Computing - Rigetti Computing, Inc. (RGTI) shares increased by 30.2% to $16.56 in the last trading session, with a higher-than-average trading volume [1] - The stock has gained 10.8% over the past four weeks, driven by advancements in quantum computing, including 99.5% two-qubit gate fidelity and scaling to over 100 qubits, positioning the company for significant growth [1] - The consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter remains unchanged, with expectations of a quarterly loss of $0.06 per share, reflecting a year-over-year change of +14.3% [2][3] Group 2: Industry Context - Rigetti Computing belongs to the Zacks Internet - Software industry, which includes other companies like BigCommerce (BIGC) [3] - BigCommerce's consensus EPS estimate has decreased by 10% over the past month to $0.03, representing a 40% decline from the previous year [4] - Both Rigetti Computing and BigCommerce currently hold a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [3][4]

Core Viewpoint - IonQ is expected to report first-quarter 2025 results with revenues projected between $7-$8 million, indicating a slower start to the year compared to full-year expectations of $75-$95 million, suggesting a back-loaded revenue model for the year [1][16]. Revenue and Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is $7.5 million, reflecting a 1.06% decline year over year [2]. - The expected loss per share is 27 cents, wider than the 19 cents loss reported in the same quarter last year [2]. Recent Performance and Surprises - In the last reported quarter, IonQ experienced a negative earnings surprise of 272%, with an average negative surprise of 57.81% over the last four quarters [3][5]. - The company has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the last four quarters and missed twice [3]. Strategic Developments - IonQ raised over $372 million through an equity offering, increasing its cash balance to over $700 million, which strengthens its financial position but raises concerns about potential shareholder dilution [6]. - The company has made aggressive acquisitions, including Qubitekk and a controlling stake in ID Quantique, expanding its quantum networking patent portfolio to nearly 400 [6]. Technological Advancements - A significant achievement includes a collaboration with Ansys, demonstrating a 12% quantum advantage over classical computing for blood pump design simulations, which could enhance enterprise adoption of quantum technologies [7]. - The company has secured government contracts, including a $21.1 million project with the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, complementing a previous $54.5 million contract [7]. Competitive Landscape - IonQ faces intense competition from major tech companies like IBM, Google, and Microsoft, which are investing heavily in quantum computing, potentially hindering IonQ's ability to maintain technological leadership [9]. Stock Performance and Valuation - IonQ's shares have declined by 26% year to date, underperforming the sector and raising concerns about financial sustainability and valuation [10][12]. - The stock is trading at a forward 12-month price/sales ratio of 66.4, significantly higher than the industry average of 2.98, indicating a stretched valuation [13][14]. Investment Considerations - The company presents a conflicting investment case with significant technological breakthroughs but faces integration challenges from recent acquisitions and a premium valuation that requires flawless execution [16][17]. - Investors may consider waiting for post-earnings clarity on acquisition integration and technology roadmap progress before making investment decisions [16][17].

Group 1 - IBM plans to invest $150 billion over the next five years, with approximately $30 billion allocated to mainframe and quantum computing [1][3] - Despite investments, IBM has remained a slow-growth company, with Q1 revenue of $14.5 billion growing only 1% year over year [2][5] - The company has a significant debt burden of $63 billion against stockholders' equity of about $27 billion, which may limit its ability to take on more debt [8] Group 2 - The investment could be transformative, as IBM's capital expenditures were only $321 million in Q1 2025 and $1.1 billion in 2024 [3] - IBM's software segment grew revenue by 8%, but other segments experienced declines, indicating a need for overall business performance improvement [5] - The company holds about $17 billion in liquidity and expects to generate $13.5 billion in free cash flow in 2025, up from $12.7 billion in 2024 [6] Group 3 - More than $6.1 billion of free cash flow is allocated to fund dividends, which yield about 2.8%, significantly higher than the S&P 500's average [7] - The high P/E ratio of 41 may limit near-term growth unless there is significant improvement in business performance [5] - Investors are advised to hold IBM shares due to uncertainties surrounding funding for increased capital expenditures [9][10]