Can quantum computing change the world? This start-up is betting on it.

Imagine a computer that could sift through millions of financial transactions in real time to detect fraud or look for signs of insider trading, and do it exponentially faster than the most powerful computers in the world today. A Washington start-up is betting that such a machine can be built in the not-too-distant future, using the mysterious principles of quantum computing. QxBranch (pronounced Q-Branch) is the latest project by Michael Brett, an Australian entrepreneur whose previous venture, Aerospace Concepts, teamed up with Lockheed Martin last year to explore the futuristic realm of super-fast quantum computers. QxBranch -- a spinoff from Aerospace Concepts -- was born out of that collaboration and develops and tests commercial applications for quantum computing. The company has Lockheed's recently retired chief technology officer, Ray Johnson, on its board of directors.