Industry Leaders Join Zapata's Growth Advisory Board, Validating Its Hardware-Agnostic, Application-Driven Approach

BOSTON, March 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zapata Quantum (OTC:ZPTA) ("Zapata", "Zapata Quantum" or the "Company"), a pioneer in quantum computing application and algorithm development, today announced the appointment of three quantum industry and vertical market veterans to its Growth Advisory Board (GAB): Steve Suarez, Steven Lau and M. Jeff Brittain.

Within the quantum space, Zapata has unique and deep customer experience developing and analyzing foundational quantum applications end-to-end from use case to execution across multiple high-value domains. These areas include chemistry, finance, supply chain and defense with leaders such as BP, BASF, DARPA, BMW, BBVA and more.

"We're honored to welcome these industry veterans to the GAB, strengthening our reach in key verticals as we move to expand on our unmatched experience, grow our commercial footprint and drive transformational value creation," said Sumit Kapur, Zapata's CEO.

The new GAB members include Steve Suarez, CEO of HorizonX, McKinsey Senior Advisor and co-founder of the Quantum Index; Steven Lau, CEO of WorldQuant Foundry and early stage investor in IonQ and PsiQuantum; and M. Jeff Brittain, Managing Director at the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis and former head of North American IT at Bayer and senior IT leader at Merck.

Hardware-Agnostic by Design

Zapata is the only publicly traded, pure-play hardware-agnostic quantum software company. It works with enterprises to identify quantum-amenable use cases, develop foundational IP and algorithms, and translate emerging technical capabilities into practical enterprise applications.

"I've had the privilege of investing early in several of the world's leading quantum hardware companies, and it's increasingly clear that the next phase of progress will be driven by hardware-agnostic software. Zapata is a clear leader in that layer of the stack," said Lau.

"We're seeing that enterprises want to ensure they don't get left behind in quantum the way many did in AI," added Suarez. "What's most important to these companies is not only that they're working with a proven technical leader but also that they aren't locking themselves into one hardware platform which may not be the winning paradigm. Zapata offers exactly that."

GAB to Support Vertical-Specific Applications and Enterprise Adoption

Each member of the GAB brings deep industry expertise that will be leveraged to accomplish Zapata's mission to create effective quantum applications across use cases.

• Steve Suarez is the CEO of HorizonX, McKinsey Senior Advisor, guest lecturer in quantum computing at MIT and co-founder of The Quantum Index, the leading scorecard for global enterprise quantum readiness. He brings deep expertise in enterprise readiness frameworks and customer roadmaps that drive systematic adoption and measurable value from near-term quantum capabilities ahead of fault-tolerant systems.
• Steven Lau is the CEO of WorldQuant Foundry and an early stage investor in IonQ, PsiQuantum and Rigetti. He brings extensive experience and perspective on scalable business models, capital allocation, and market positioning as quantum software transitions from research-driven pilots to sustainable enterprise revenue streams.
• M. Jeff Brittain is Managing Director of Emerging Technologies Innovation at the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis, where he drives advances in next-generation supply chain solutions. Brittain was also North American Head of IT at Bayer and Executive Director in charge of facilitating technology strategy and execution at Merck. He brings deep experience navigating complex enterprise environments, including pharmaceutical development and supply chain management, key application domains for Zapata.
  
  

Accelerating Enterprise Quantum Adoption

The Growth Advisory Board complements Zapata's Scientific Advisory Board, bringing together leading scientists and experienced industry operators to accelerate the translation of quantum breakthroughs into real-world transformational enterprise value. Together, these groups create a powerful combination of frontier scientific insight and deep enterprise expertise.

"Our mission, tracing back to our origins at Harvard's quantum computing lab, has always been to bridge the gap between quantum breakthroughs and real-world enterprise impact," concluded Kapur. "By combining rigorous science with operational know-how, we're continuing to drive quantum computing from technical progress to transformational economic value creation."

About Zapata Quantum

Zapata Quantum is a leading hardware-agnostic, pure-play quantum software company focused on accelerating quantum application development. With a portfolio of more than 60 granted and pending patents developed over seven years, Zapata supports applications across cryptography, pharmaceuticals, finance, materials discovery, defense, and more. The Company is the only organization to have participated across all technical areas of DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking program and has worked with Fortune 500 enterprises and government agencies to translate quantum advances into real-world impact. Learn more at zapataquantum.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Company's position and prospects in the market for quantum technologies, and the potential future growth and value creation of its business. Forward-looking statements are prefaced by words such as "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "could," "may," "will," "should," "would," "intend," "seem," "potential," "appear," "continue," "future," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "project," and similar words. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. We caution you, therefore, against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, our need for additional capital to re-establish, grow and maintain material operations and meet future goals and milestone targets which we may be unable to obtain on favorable terms, within the time required or at all, the state of the U.S. economy including issues caused by affordability, the risk of future inflation and uncertainty about interest rates, uncertainty surrounding and impacts arising from tariffs and litigation and developments relating thereto, our ability to attract and retain key personnel, our ability to maintain and protect intellectual property rights, the risk that software and technology infrastructure on which we depend fail to perform as designed or intended, the possibility that competitors may develop or access technology with similar or superior capabilities to our technology offerings, and the risk factors contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the SEC on December 9, 2025. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Investor Relations Contact:

Richard Land

[email protected]