IonQ has announced an agreement to acquire cybersecurity startup Elisity in an all-stock transaction valued at up to $1.3 billion. The deal, signed on October 9, 2026, includes $1.15 billion in shares at closing, with an additional $150 million contingent on revenue milestones between August 1, 2026, and January 31, 2028.
The acquisition also includes a $100 million retention pool of restricted stock units for Elisity employees, bringing IonQ’s total potential outlay to approximately $1.4 billion. The share count for the transaction will be determined by IonQ’s 20-day average stock price prior to closing, which is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Elisity, which provides zero trust security solutions through its IdentityGraph product, has reportedly doubled its revenue and customer base year over year. The startup has secured over 100 global deployments and counts several Fortune 500 companies among its clients. Elisity CEO James Winebrenner will remain in his role following the acquisition.
IonQ intends to leverage Elisity’s distribution channels to sell its own post-quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution products to enterprise and government clients. This move follows a series of acquisitions by IonQ, including ID Quantique, Oxford Ionics, and SkyWater Technology, as the company expands its quantum-safe communications capabilities.
