ZeroThird named Scale-up of the Year at the EY Scale-up Award 2026
Image: © Vyoma
More than 330 companies applied. Only a handful walked away with a title. One of them builds encryption on the laws of physics.
ZeroThird has been named Scale-up of the Year in the Disruption & Innovation category at the EY Scale-up Award 2026, and was selected among Austria's top 10 scale-ups across all sectors. CEO Felix Tiefenbacher and CFO Christoph Thaler took the stage to accept it on behalf of the team.
The problem nobody can afford to ignore
Today's encryption rests on maths problems that ordinary computers can't solve in a reasonable time. Quantum computers are expected to change that. And data stolen today can be stored and decrypted later.
ZeroThird's answer is to distribute keys using entangled photons, so that any attempt to eavesdrop reveals itself. It's not a stronger lock. It's a lock that tells you when someone touches it.
A year of proof, not promises
The award caps a remarkable run:
ZeroThird ran a live quantum-secure pilot with Erste Group and A1 inside operational banking data centres in Vienna.
VERBUND X Ventures led its Seed+ round.
It now leads the EU-funded QUAPITAL project, which aims to connect the financial centres of Vienna and Frankfurt with quantum-secure communication.
From lab science to bank infrastructure to an award stage in one year. Congratulations, zerothird.
Congratulations to the whole zerothird team.
