Summit | Jan Goetz (IQM Quantum Computers): Building a quantum unicorn from Europe

Quantum computing is not simply about making today’s computers faster. For Jan Goetz, CEO & Co-Founder at IQM Quantum Computers, the opportunity lies in solving problems that conventional computing architectures may never handle efficiently enough. Speaking at EUVC Summit 2026, Jan explains how IQM grew from university research into a full-stack quantum company building its own chips, systems, manufacturing capacity and cloud infrastructure. He reflects on the practical realities of building deep tech, including operating an early quantum computer from an office with improvised cooling, raising significant capital for hardware and scaling a company before much of the surrounding infrastructure exists. The session also explores Europe’s position in quantum, why hardware is becoming a critical bottleneck and how IQM is trying to scale globally while remaining headquartered in Finland. Highlights Why conventional computing is approaching physical limits Why quantum requires a different computing model Turning university research into a deep-tech company Building hardware before the infrastructure exists Why hardware matters as much in quantum as it does in AI Europe’s current position in quantum computing Scaling a capital-intensive company from Europe Accessing global capital without leaving Europe Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:05) Why some problems need a different kind of computer (03:05) Why bigger data centres are reaching their limits (04:05) How quantum computing scales differently (05:00) The energy problem behind AI compute (06:05) Building a full-stack quantum computer (07:20) From university research to building IQM (09:15) Building a quantum computer in an office (12:15) Europe’s position in quantum computing (13:25) Why hardware is becoming the bottleneck (14:05) Raising capital and planning a dual listing