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Espoo, Finland, 14th February 2024 – IQM Quantum Computers, a global leader in building quantum computers, implements a dual leadership structure, appointing two Co-CEOs as part of its next growth phase, effective today.
Former sole CEO and Co-founder Dr. Jan Goetz will lead external relations and fundraising, while Dr. Mikko Välimäki will focus on enterprise commercial operations. Together, Goetz and Välimäki will execute IQM’s strategy going forward. They are based in IQM’s corporate headquarters in Espoo, Finland.
When founding IQM in 2018, Välimäki served as chairman of the company. After the first financing round in 2019, he continued as a board member, actively participating in the company’s decision-making and global scaling of the business since then.
The new Co-CEO approach has vital advantages to strengthen our leadership capabilities. It will leverage complementary skill sets within our leadership team and streamline our organisational performance,” said Dr. Sierk Poetting, Chairman of IQM’s Board.
As a leadership team, we are confident in Goetz and Välimäki leading IQM to the future and providing value to our customers and partners worldwide. This organisational structure will help us adapt to new opportunities and thrive in a dynamic business landscape.”
In the new leadership structure, the Co-CEOs will share joint responsibility for overall company performance while ensuring a seamless flow of operations.
Mikko and I have been part of IQM’s incredible journey since the beginning. At this stage of IQM’s growth, I am truly delighted to have Mikko join me as Co-CEO in shaping IQM’s future. The industry is at a critical moment as the processing capability of quantum computers is about to surpass that of even the most powerful supercomputers. Having Mikko on board to support our commercial operations significantly enhances our business capabilities to capture this opportunity,” said Goetz.
I am happy about Mikko´s support since it allows me to fully leverage my skills and expertise focusing on external matters. This is a very beneficial development for IQM and all our stakeholders.”
Välimäki's role in transitioning IQM to a global quantum computing business is pivotal as the enterprise's operations rapidly expand worldwide.
Leading our commercial operations and aligning our sales and marketing with the exceptionally strong technology foundation to drive long-term growth is very close to my heart. I feel honoured to take on the role of Co-CEO together with Jan,” said Välimäki.
The announced leadership structure will also create a new corporate framework and foster IQM’s position as a world leading quantum computer scale-up in the rapidly growing and increasingly competitive market.
Dr. Goetz is a quantum physicist, former sole CEO, and Co-founder of IQM Quantum Computers. Goetz did his doctorate on superconducting quantum circuits at TU Munich and worked as a Marie-Curie Fellow in Helsinki at Aalto University, where he holds the title of docent. In 2023, Handelsblatt, a leading business and financial newspaper in Germany, named Jan "Founder of the Year” on its "People of the Year” list. In 2020, Capital magazine selected him as one of 40 under 40 in Germany, and he received an entrepreneurship award from the KAUTE Foundation. He was on the board of European Innovation Council EIC and now serves as a Council Member of the EIC scaling club, Board Member of the European Quantum Industry Consortium QuIC, member of the German Federal Economic Senate, and a Digital Leader and Global Innovator at the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Dr. Välimäki is an experienced business leader and investor, who has founded and led several technology companies. He currently holds board member positions in startup companies and a board seat in a NASDAQ Helsinki-listed software company, QT Group.
He co-founded and led storage software company Tuxera Inc. as CEO to over 100 people and high-margin sales across Europe, Asia, and North America. The company became the worldwide leader in embedded file systems in consumer and industrial electronics applications, including phones, cars, TVs, cameras, drones, storage devices, aerospace applications, and more. Dr. Välimäki has a PhD in software business from Aalto University and a Master's in law from the University of Helsinki.
IQM is the global leader in building quantum computers. IQM provides on-premises quantum computers for supercomputing centres and research labs and offers full access to its hardware. For industrial customers, IQM delivers quantum advantage through a unique application-specific, co-design approach.
IQM’s commercial quantum computers include Finland’s first commercial 50-qubit quantum computer with VTT, IQM-led consortium’s (Q-Exa) HPC quantum accelerator in Germany, and IQM processors will also be used in the first quantum accelerator in Spain. IQM has over 290 employees with offices in Espoo (Finland), Munich (Germany), Madrid (Spain), Paris (France), Singapore, and Palo Alto (CA, US).
