Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who currently serves as a strategic adviser to Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, has been appointed president of the scientific advisory board of Israeli startup Quantum X Labs. Following the announcement, the company’s shares rose about 10%, giving it a market value of roughly $100 million.
According to the company, Cohen will help shape and implement its technological and commercial strategy across its areas of activity — quantum computing, cybersecurity, quantum communications and quantum sensing. The company aims to develop a modular infrastructure that could be used to build a quantum computer containing several thousand qubits by the end of 2027. Quantum X began trading on Nasdaq in early May. The company is still in the early stages of its operations and has yet to post profits or significant revenue.
Yossi Cohen has been appointed president of the scientific advisory board of Israeli startup Quantum X Labs
(Photo: Yuval Chen)
Cohen will work alongside the existing members of Quantum X’s scientific advisory board, including Professor Oren Kurland of the Technion and Professor Oren Raz of the Weizmann Institute, with the goal of expanding the company’s activity, particularly in the defense, aerospace and critical infrastructure markets. Cohen’s appointment comes close on the heels of another notable appointment involving a former Mossad chief, David Barnea, who was named global president and chairman of U.S. defense company Ondas.
Cohen served as head of the Mossad from 2016 to 2021. Before that, he served as head of the National Security Council. Over the years, he commanded several of Israel’s most significant covert operations, including the 2018 seizure of Iran’s nuclear archive. He also took part in efforts that helped lay the groundwork for the Abraham Accords.
In 2021, Cohen joined SoftBank to lead the company’s activity in Israel through SoftBank Vision Fund 2. In that role, he was involved in the conglomerate’s investments in Israeli cybersecurity companies, including Cato Networks, Wiz and Claroty. In August, he was appointed a strategic adviser at SoftBank, a role that brings him closer to the group’s senior decision-making centers and broadens the scope of his activity.
According to Yakov Baranes, CEO of Quantum X Labs, “We did not appoint Yossi Cohen simply as a prestigious name on our board. We appointed him because the company is developing a series of unique capabilities — including quantum sensing for navigation and timing, quantum error correction and quantum cybersecurity — that are now moving from our laboratory into the real world.”
Cohen said he chose to join the company because he found in it “a rare combination of exceptional human capital and significant technological potential.”
“My years in senior positions, including at the Mossad,” he said, “taught me to identify the unique combination of people, technology and vision required to create meaningful impact. I see that combination at Quantum X Labs.”
Quantum X will likely seek to benefit from Cohen’s skills and connections in infrastructure investment. SoftBank’s broader strategy, where he currently serves, includes large-scale AI computing, data centers and chips, while Quantum X is focused on the transition to quantum chips and computing and communications systems regarded as strategic infrastructure.
As president of the advisory board, Cohen will help prioritize applications in defense and critical infrastructure, advance international partnerships and translate the company’s intellectual property into commercial channels.