The relationship has since grown from there. As IonQ continues to make strategic acquisitions and expand toward a vertically integrated, full-stack quantum platform, Kearney stays alongside it. Together, the teams determine why each deal matters, decide where the businesses should come together, and identify what needs to change to turn the promise of each acquisition into operating progress. What began as integration support has become a wider role in helping IonQ manage growth and change. 

Rapid growth has also brought another challenge: a company shaped by advanced research must also build the functions and ways of working needed for a larger public business. Kearney has helped IonQ’s core functions mature as quickly as the company itself, while also supporting recurring benchmarks for quantum computer performance.  

 Through it all, the aim has consistently been to help the business keep pace with the science.

For Kearney’s team, the learning curve was part of the appeal. Many conversations were with people who had deep expertise in physics, engineering, and quantum systems. IonQ brought the science. Kearney brought experience in integration, business operations, and managing growth. Progress came from both teams listening closely, learning quickly, and solving unfamiliar problems together.

Quantum computing is still moving from promise to practical use. Its future will depend not only on what happens in the lab, but also on the choices companies make as they grow. IonQ is building the technology. Kearney is helping build the business around it. Together, they are bringing useful quantum computing closer to reality.