Deep Pockets

Since 2022, the world’s Quantum ecosystem has gathered in Washington DC to bring a quantum-ready future into focus. As you will hear from these interviews, Quantum World Congress is the world’s premier gathering for quantum technology leaders, innovators, and visionaries. The air was filled with hope, camaraderie, laughter, and optimism. 

I attended the full 2024 event, including a precursor that was organized by the Embassy of Finland in Washington DC together with Johns Hopkins Science Policy and Diplomacy Group, as well as the pre-event International Forum ... with a microphone in hand.

Interviewees in the order of appearance:

André König, CEO of Global Quantum Intelligence (GQI)
Lincoln Carr, Quantum Education and Research Consultant; Professor of Physics and Quantum Engineering
Corban Tilleman-Dick, Founder & CEO of Maybell Quantum Industries, Chair, Elevate Quantum
Dr. Bob Sutor, Vice President and Practice Lead, Emerging Technologies, Futurum Group 
Omid Noroozian, Ph.D., Deputy Chief Technologist, Astrophysics Division, NASA
Rajat Ghosh, Manager, National Quantum Strategy Secretariat at Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Canada
Aravind Ratnam, Chief Strategy Officer (Q-CTRL), Australia
Andreas Masuhr, Head of the Quantum Initiative, Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz (SCNAT), Switzerland
Tomas Andersson, Senior Research Officer, Swedish Research Council
Lene B. Oddershede, Senior Vice President, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark
Jarmo Sareva - Consul General, Ambassador, Consulate General of Finland in New York
Petri Koikkalainen, Counselor for Science and Education, Embassy of Finland in Washington DC
Fikriye Selen-Okatan, Senior Advisor, Digital Technologies and Startups, Business Finland in New York
Celia Merzbacher, QED-C Executive Director at SRI International
George Thomas, President of Connected DMV, organizer of Quantum World Congress

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Even though quantum computers are not in wide use yet, it is well known that they have the potential to break the encryption system that is in use in most modern computing systems. Across the globe, governments are beginning to prepare for the opportunities, but also to the threats that quantum computers will introduce. Danika Hannon, Deputy Head of the Quantum Strategy Institute, will tell us how the U.S., Europe, and Asian countries protect themselves against potential future threats. 

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Take any device in your home with a screen; your phone, your computer, your TV, there’s a high likelihood that the display is built in South Korea, or by a South Korean company. At the very least whoever built it has licensed technology from South Korea. That’s kind of amazing. How did this Asian country become to dominate this piece of technology? Listen to this story from Government and Innovation - the Economic Developer's Guide to our Future, available in Amazon. 

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The EU's Artificial Intelligence Act came into force August 1, 2024. This is the most comprehensive legislation on the topic. What does it entail, who is affected, how to comply? Meeri Haataja, CEO and Co-Founder of Saidot is one of Europe’s leading experts on AI governance. This episode discusses policy, innovation, social impact, and human interest stories of one humanity’s most disruptive modern technology. 

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Bob Sutor worked at IBM for nearly 40 years, creating the modern IT infrastructure and industry. His most recent area of expertise, quantum computing, turns out to be the most exciting of them all. In this episode, Bob tells us why we are now in a point in history when the quantum industry needs its "Apollo program", a large scale government funded program and industrial policy that will take us to the next level. 

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How does recruiting in AI differ from recruiting in biotech, or quantum? Who is currently hiring, startups, corporations, or the academia? Will deeptech founders ever use professional recruiting companies? Any differences between North America and Europe? Answers to these, and other burning deeptech recruitment questions by Amir Rasool from Orion Technology. 

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Finland's Climate Fund started its operations in December 2020. To date it has made 25 investment decisions that total 182.9 million euros in startups such as Solar Foods that makes protein out of air, Betolar, a sustainable cement company, or Paptic, a fiber based packaging material innovator. In May 2024 the Finnish government decided to ramp the fund down. Was the fund succesful, unsuccesful, and are there any lessons learned for others? Deep Pockets talks to Pia Erkinheimo, Director of Dealflow and Customer Relationships on her journey. 

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Season 1 was launched in October 2021 as I was writing by book Government and Innovation, the Economic Developer’s Guide to our Future. I wanted to have conversations with people in the crossroads of technology and government in order to better understand the landscape, and also to collect interviews and material for the book. Which I did, and I’m extremely grateful to all of those people. 

Season 2 began just as the book was coming out, in February 2023. With season 2 I wanted to give the audience a taste of the book, now that it was available on Amazon. Each episode is loosely linked to a chapter in the book, covering both government funded technologies as well as various means for governments to support innovation. 

Season 3 opened in the beginning of 2024. Here I wanted to celebrate other nonfiction authors who had written books that talk about, or support the idea of publicly funded research and innovation. I found six fabulous books that everyone who is interested in this topic should read. 

Having organized, booked, scripted, recorded and edited 27 episodes I must confess I’m looking for something that wouldn’t be so time consuming. Hence, the Random Rendezvous. 

In Season 4 I can book whoever I want, to talk about whatever they want. No script, no agenda, just a friendly conversation on a topic that’s current or interesting. I will invite people I meet in conferences, online, or authors of books I read. There will always be a link to technology, innovation, or economic development, that’s for sure. 

But I also want to keep the mind open to discover something new and exciting. 

I can’t wait to see what it will be. Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy it. 

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With this closing session of Season 3 - the book club - I'm talking to Chris Elliott from Studio Aguze. We had some fun moments recording my audiobook, and want to celebrate nonfiction authors by offering insight into the audiobook recording process. I hope you've enjoyed Seas 3, and talk to you soon again. 

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