Post-Quantum Cryptography Token qONE Sells Out in 24 Hours, Raises $950,000 – Crypto’s Quantum Resistance Race Heats Up

If the record-breaking sell-out of the qONE token presale is any indication, the crypto world is finally waking up to the existential threat of quantum computing. In a market environment where most projects struggle to raise six figures, qLabs has just pulled off a remarkable feat: securing $950,000 from contributors in a public sale that vanished in just 24 hours.

The numbers tell the story. Two percent of the total token supply was allocated to this “limited” presale—a deliberate strategy by qLabs to minimize early speculative volatility while ensuring sufficient treasury and ecosystem funding. The team’s approach appears to have resonated strongly with investors who are increasingly concerned about what many in the industry now call “Q-Day”—the moment when quantum computers can derive private keys from public keys by cracking current encryption standards.

The Quantum Threat Is Real, and It’s Coming Sooner Than You Think

While Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently suggested that useful quantum computers are still 15-30 years away, other experts believe the timeline is much more compressed—possibly 5-10 years. This discrepancy in predictions has created a sense of urgency in the crypto industry, which relies heavily on public-key cryptography for everything from Bitcoin transactions to Ethereum smart contracts.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Whether it’s RSA encryption used in internet and banking services, Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) for generating keys, SHA-256 for hashing Bitcoin transactions, or Keccak-256 and ECDSA for ERC-20 assets, the entire foundation of cryptocurrency security faces potential obsolescence.

qONE: The First Quantum-Resistant Token on Hyperliquid

qONE represents a significant milestone as the first quantum-resistant token built on the Hyperliquid blockchain. Developed in partnership with 01 Quantum, a publicly listed Canadian cybersecurity company specializing in quantum resilience, qONE brings NIST-approved post-quantum cryptography to the Ethereum ecosystem.

The token lists today at approximately 2pm UTC, and presale contributors are advised to use the Hyperliquid-compliant Rabby Wallet for claiming their tokens. The official qLABS website contains comprehensive details about the token generation event.

What makes this presale particularly noteworthy is the timing. Crypto markets have been experiencing a bearish backdrop, yet qONE managed to attract substantial interest and capital. This suggests that investors are looking beyond short-term price action and focusing on fundamental technological solutions to existential threats.

The Competitive Landscape: qONE’s First-Mover Advantage

When we asked the qLABS team about their competitive positioning, they outlined three distinct categories in the post-quantum cryptography space:

1. Post-quantum research and migration projects like Project Eleven, which focus on identifying vulnerable keys and facilitating long-term migration paths, particularly for Bitcoin and legacy assets.

2. Chain-level solutions where Layer-1s or Layer-2s explore future cryptographic upgrades. These approaches tend to be slow, consensus-heavy, and not backward-compatible with existing assets.

3. Wallet and custody providers experimenting with stronger key management but not implementing full NIST-aligned post-quantum cryptography.

Ada Jonuse, Executive Director at qLABS, puts it bluntly: “qONE’s competition is not a single product, but the combination of inaction, delayed chain upgrades, and partial security solutions that do not protect assets today.”

How qONE’s Technology Differs from Project Eleven and Others

The comparison with Project Eleven, backed by Coinbase Ventures among others, is particularly instructive. While Project Eleven focuses on identifying vulnerable Bitcoin keys and facilitating migration paths, qONE takes a different approach by making quantum-resistant cryptography compatible with existing chains.

Jonuse explains: “qLABS technology makes quantum-resistant cryptography compatible with the existing chains. We unite a proprietary zero-knowledge proof engine with NIST-approved post-quantum algorithms, enabling faster and cheaper migration for Layer 1 chains while maintaining superior chain performance. This is despite the fact that PQC-based private and public keys are more than 20x bigger than standard ones.”

The foundation of qONE’s post-quantum cryptography solution is 01 Quantum’s IronCAP technology, which has been battle-tested in enterprise environments. According to the team, the qLABS solution will be available in Q1 2026 to protect major crypto assets from quantum attacks using wallet technology.

“To our knowledge, no viable solutions exist to solve this problem so early,” Jonuse notes, highlighting qLABS’s potential first-mover advantage in what could become a massive market.

Ethereum’s Quantum Awakening

The timing of qONE’s launch coincides with a significant shift in the Ethereum ecosystem’s approach to quantum security. The Ethereum Foundation has officially declared post-quantum security a top strategic priority, forming a dedicated team to protect against future quantum computer threats.

Vitalik Buterin has stated there’s “about a 20% chance” that quantum computers could break Ethereum’s cryptography by 2027, a timeline that has sent shockwaves through the developer community. This institutional recognition of the quantum threat has created fertile ground for solutions like qONE.

Strategic Rollout: ERC-20 First, Then the World

qLABS has strategically decided to roll out its solution to ERC-20 tokens first, followed by Solana and then other Layer-1 solutions including Bitcoin. This phased approach makes sense given Ethereum’s dominance in the DeFi and token ecosystem.

“We strongly believe that the first step towards fighting the quantum threat is to protect crypto holders’ assets today, and every chain should start from that safe environment,” Jonuse explains. “This approach is similar to what Project Eleven is communicating about with their next technological milestone—a safety solution on the wallet side.”

The core technology behind qONE is called Quantum-Sig, which functions as a security protocol rather than a replacement wallet that takes ownership of funds. This design choice is crucial because it means users maintain control of their assets while gaining quantum resistance.

The Market Opportunity Is Staggering

qLABS estimates the total addressable market for ERC-20 assets at $1 trillion, of which qONE aims to provide quantum-resistant security for 2% ($20 billion). This conservative market share target suggests the team is focused on execution rather than hype.

The value accrual model is designed to be sustainable and aligned with long-term success. According to the project, value comes from:

• Transaction and service fees
• Staking rewards funded by protocol usage
• Deflationary mechanics (burns or buybacks)

Jonuse emphasizes that “exact projections are speculative, but the model is designed so that token value scales with secured asset volume, not mere speculation.”

What This Means for the Crypto Industry

The successful qONE presale represents more than just another token launch—it signals a maturation in how the crypto industry approaches fundamental security challenges. After a period dominated by meme coins and speculative tokens with little to no utility, qONE demonstrates that investors are willing to back serious infrastructure projects addressing real-world problems.

The project’s measured approach stands in stark contrast to the hype-driven launches that have characterized much of the crypto space. By limiting the presale allocation, focusing on a clear technical solution, and building partnerships with established cybersecurity firms, qLABS has positioned itself as a credible player in the post-quantum cryptography space.

The Road Ahead

As quantum computing technology continues to advance at an accelerating pace, the window for preparation is closing. Projects like qONE that offer practical, implementable solutions today—rather than theoretical approaches for some distant future—are likely to be the ones that capture market share and deliver real value to users.

The crypto industry’s response to the quantum threat will be a defining moment in its evolution. Will it adapt and evolve its security models proactively, or will it wait until Q-Day arrives and scrambles to implement solutions under duress?

Based on the overwhelming response to qONE’s presale, it appears that at least a significant segment of the crypto community is choosing to prepare now rather than react later. In a space where security is paramount and trust is hard-won, that could prove to be a decisive advantage.

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