Prediction: 2 Stocks That Will Be Worth More Than IonQ 5 Years From Now

The argument could be made that IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) is the most valuable quantum computing stock in the world right now, given that it is worth about $12.5 billion. The argument could also be made that there are at least a few other start-ups out there that could soon be worth even more.

For instance, I think a satellite imaging company and a nuclear start-up that has never sold a kilowatt of power will both be worth more than IonQ's current valuation in 2031. Not because IonQ is a bad company, but because that market cap is a much lower bar than most investors realize, and these two have clearer paths to topping it.

IonQ has done real things. It bought the chipmaker SkyWater Technology for about $1.08 billion in July to own its own manufacturing; it has $3 billion in cash; and it has partnerships with several major cloud providers.

Image source: Getty Images.

But IonQ's stock has lost half its value in a year, trailing revenue is about $246 million against a net loss north of $1.4 billion, and the business still depends on quantum computers becoming commercially useful on a timeline nobody can promise. A company like that can be worth $12.5 billion or $40 billion in 2031 depending on physics. The two companies below do not need physics to cooperate. They need to keep doing what they are already doing.

1. Planet Labs PBC: IonQ bought a satellite company. This is a real one.

I thought this was a fun pick because it's somewhat of a coincidence: IonQ's own business description now includes a satellite data platform, because it bought its way into radar imaging. Planet Labs (NYSE: PL) has been doing the real version of that for a decade. It operates more than 100 satellites that photograph every point on Earth's landmass every day and sells that imagery as a subscription to governments and companies.

The business has quietly changed shape this year. Revenue in the quarter ended July 31 grew 58%, the net loss shrank to under $10 million, and backlog reached $815 million, which is more than two years of revenue already under contract. Net dollar retention was 109%, meaning existing customers are spending more, not less. Planet Labs also secured major expansions of defense and intelligence contracts in 2026, and it has begun building satellites for specific customers rather than only renting out its own fleet.

A company with $5 billion of market value, 58% growth, a path to profitability, and the only daily map of the planet needs to grow about 2.5x in five years to pass IonQ. At its current pace, that is a question of whether the stock keeps up with the business, not whether the business gets there.

2. Oklo: The first reactor changes everything

Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) is the riskier pick and the more interesting one. It designs small fast-fission reactors it calls Aurora powerhouses, and its stock has collapsed over 75% in a year as investors grow impatient among repeated stock sales (including another $1 billion offering this month). What the sell-off ignores is the calendar. Site work is underway at Oklo's first plant at Idaho National Laboratory, with a planned start-up in 2028. In January, Oklo signed a prepayment agreement with Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) for a 1.2-gigawatt campus in Pike County, Ohio, with the first phase targeted to come online as early as 2030.

By 2031, then, Oklo could be an operating utility selling power to one of the largest companies on earth under long-term contracts, with a pipeline behind it. Companies that own power plants with 20-year customers are valued very differently from companies with slide decks. A $5 billion start-up becoming a $13 billion operator with a Meta contract is not a stretch; it is roughly what happens when a reactor turns on.

That being said, IonQ could win this race anyway. If quantum computing hits a commercial inflection, a $12.5 billion starting point will look cheap. Planet Labs depends heavily on government budgets and carries about $450 million in debt it did not have a year ago, and Oklo could slip its 2028 date or keep diluting shareholders until the math stops working.

Micah Zimmerman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends IonQ, Meta Platforms, and Planet Labs PBC. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.