# IonQ to acquire Elisity, an identity-based microsegmentation vendor, for up to $1.3 billion

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/blog/2026-10-12-ionq-to-acquire-elisity-for-up-to-1-3-billion/
Last updated: 2026-10-12
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

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IonQ announced on October 12 that it will acquire Elisity in an all-stock transaction valued at up to $1.3 billion, of which up to $150 million is an earnout tied to Elisity's performance. The share count will be set from IonQ's 20-day volume-weighted price before closing, bounded between $33.07 and $49.61. Closing is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Elisity, founded in 2019, sells microsegmentation driven by identity: its IdentityGraph correlates identity, asset and risk data to decide which users, devices, workloads and AI agents may talk to each other, and enforces that policy independently of the underlying network gear. IonQ cites more than 100 customer deployments. SecurityWeek reports Elisity had raised more than $70 million. CEO James Winebrenner will keep running the business.

## Why it matters

Elisity applies [least privilege](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/least-privilege/) at the network layer, keyed on identity rather than IP ranges, which is where [zero trust](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-zero-trust/) programs stall for unmanaged devices and OT that cannot run an agent. It competes with [Illumio](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/zero-trust/illumio/) and [Zscaler](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/zero-trust/zscaler/) for that budget.

The buyer is the surprise. IonQ is a quantum computing company assembling a security portfolio around post-quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution, so expect Elisity's roadmap to tilt toward that story. Customers should confirm which identity sources (directories, CMDB, NAC) remain supported and whether pricing changes at renewal before the deal closes.

Source: [SecurityWeek](https://www.securityweek.com/ionq-to-acquire-zero-trust-firm-elisity-for-up-to-1-3-billion/), terms via [IonQ](https://www.ionq.com/news/ionq-to-acquire-elisity-to-accelerate-zero-trust-for-the-quantum-era)