IQM Founder Takes Sole CEO Role, Signaling Push for Global Dominance

By Jennifer Anderson

ESPOO, Finland – January 26, 2026 – In a decisive move signaling a new phase of strategic ambition, IQM Quantum Computers has consolidated its leadership, appointing co-founder Dr. Jan Goetz as its sole Chief Executive Officer. The transition, effective since the start of the year, marks the end of a two-year dual-CEO structure and positions the European quantum leader for an aggressive push toward global commercialization and technological supremacy.

The leadership shuffle also elevates Dr. Søren Hein to the newly created roles of Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO. Mikko Välimäki, who served alongside Goetz as Co-CEO, has stepped down from his commercial role but will remain an advisor to the company until March 2026 to ensure a smooth transition. This restructuring is being framed not as a correction, but as a deliberate evolution reflecting the company's growing maturity in the fiercely competitive quantum computing sector.

“Our dual CEO approach has served IQM well over the past two years, and I want to thank Mikko Välimäki for his significant contributions,” stated Dr. Sierk Poetting, Chairman of IQM’s Board of Directors. “Moving to a single-CEO structure reflects the maturity of the organisation and positions IQM to deliver the next phase of sustainable global expansion and long-term growth.”

A Strategic Shift from Dual Leadership

The previous Co-CEO model was itself a strategic choice, implemented in early 2024 to leverage the complementary strengths of its leaders during a critical growth period. Goetz focused on external relations, technology vision, and fundraising, while Välimäki concentrated on building out the company's commercial operations. This division of labor was designed to accelerate progress on multiple fronts simultaneously. The board's affirmation of the model's past success suggests it achieved its intended purpose, helping the company navigate a period of rapid expansion and product development.

However, the shift to a unified command under Goetz, a visionary founder with deep technical roots in quantum physics, indicates a pivot. As the company moves from establishing its market presence to scaling its operations globally, the focus now turns to streamlined decision-making and operational excellence. The creation of a dedicated COO role underscores this new priority, signaling that the company is gearing up for the complex logistical and commercial challenges of industrial-scale deployment.

Founder's Vision Takes Center Stage

With the reins now firmly in his hands, Dr. Jan Goetz is poised to steer IQM according to his long-held vision. Goetz, who co-founded the company in 2018 as a spin-out from Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, has been the driving force behind its technical roadmap and remarkable fundraising success, having secured over $600 million in capital to date.

His strategy has been clear: establish European leadership in quantum computing while pursuing a dominant global position. Goetz has championed an approach of first delivering robust, on-premises quantum computers to supercomputing centers and research institutions before broadening cloud access. This allows for co-development and ensures customers can build their own quantum expertise. His ambition is not merely academic; he has publicly stated his belief that “quantum advantage”—where quantum systems solve practical problems beyond the reach of classical supercomputers—is only three to four years away, particularly in fields like molecular simulation.

“IQM is well positioned to meet the evolving needs of AI-driven organisations and high-performance computing centres,” Goetz said in the official announcement. “This new structure will help us accelerate progress towards fault-tolerant quantum computing and deliver greater value to our customers and partners.” This focus on fault tolerance is the holy grail of the industry, and accelerating progress toward it is a bold declaration of intent.

Fortifying Operations for Commercial Scale

The appointment of Dr. Søren Hein as COO and Deputy CEO is a critical component of the new strategy. Hein is no stranger to IQM; as a leader of deeptech investments at MIG Capital, he led the company's seed funding round in 2019. His return to the fold as an operator brings over 30 years of experience as a technology executive at firms like Infineon and as a startup founder himself. His background, combining deep technical knowledge with extensive operational and investment experience, makes him uniquely suited to translate IQM's technological prowess into commercial success.

Hein’s mandate is to strengthen the company’s operational backbone as it scales globally. This involves streamlining production, optimizing the supply chain for complex quantum systems, and ensuring the company can deliver and support its products effectively across multiple continents.

“IQM has built an incredible team and culture of innovation,” Hein commented on his appointment. “As we scale globally, I look forward to strengthening our operations, accelerating quantum adoption, and supporting long-term commercial success.”

Quantum's Pivot from Lab to Market

This leadership realignment at IQM is a microcosm of a larger trend within the quantum industry: the decisive shift from pure research to commercial reality. Companies are now judged not just on qubit counts, but on system sales, uptime, and their ability to integrate with existing high-performance computing infrastructure. IQM has leaned into this trend, claiming to have sold and shipped more on-premises quantum computers in the past year than any competitor.

This market traction, combined with the largest Series B funding round for a quantum company outside the U.S., provides the financial and commercial foundation for its next growth phase. The company's strategy of selling full-stack systems to customers like Germany's Heilbronn University, while also offering cloud access and maintenance services, demonstrates a multi-pronged approach to market penetration.

The new, more centralized leadership structure under Goetz and Hein is designed to capitalize on this momentum. By aligning its visionary, technical, and operational leadership, IQM is making a clear statement to customers, partners, and competitors that it is no longer just a promising European startup, but a global contender preparing to define the commercial era of quantum computing.