The Quantum Spin

In this episode of The Quantum Spin by HKA , host Veronica Combs talks with Matt Johnson, CEO and co-founder of QC Ware , a software company that builds tools for drug discovery and materials design. Matt also convenes the quantum community three times a year at Q2B conferences in Silicon Valley, Paris and Toyko. They discuss the groundbreaking developments announced at the December 2024 Q2B Silic...

What does it take to persuade the biggest companies in the world to start exploring quantum technology? Twenty years in deep tech consulting is a great place to start. Jean-Francois Bobier is a partner and director at the Boston Consulting Group in Paris. He uses his expertise in identifying use cases, endless curiosity and computer science background to help Fortune 500 executives understand the...

In this episode of 'The Quantum Spin by HKA', Veronica Combs discusses upskilling and reskilling with Professor Dr. Helena Liebelt from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) . Dr. Liebelt shares her extensive experience in both academia and industry, highlighting the importance of upskilling and preparing a workforce capable of advancing in the quantum and HPC sectors. At DIT, Dr. Liebelt f...

In this episode of 'The Quantum Spin by HKA,' host Veronica Combs discusses how to support women in the quantum industry with Biljana Rajevic, Head of Strategy, Corporate Development, and Public Relations at Quantum Brilliance and the founder of Quantum Women . The conversation explores the motivations and initiatives of Quantum Women, including mentoring, networking, and raising the visibility of...

In this episode of 'The Quantum Spin by HKA,' host Veronica Combs chats with Celia Merzbacher, Executive Director of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) . They discuss how identifying the gaps – in technology, workforce and policy – can lay the groundwork for winning government funding and making significant advances in the industry. Early in her career, Celia learned the power of...

In his role as Chief Analyst at Global Quantum Intelligence, David Shaw combines a PhD in physics with years of advising executives in tech, healthcare, energy, and financial services. This understanding of quantum mechanics and the technology life cycle gives him a unique perspective on quantum hardware. In this episode, he explains how many “chips” it will take to build a quantum computer, how f...

The US has 10 federal quantum research centers and four of them are in or near Chicago (California has only two). That’s only one reason the city was named a U.S. Regional and Innovation Technology Hub for quantum tech. Science writer Meredith Fore covers the quantum scene including national labs, universities and startups for the Chicago Quantum Exchange. She shares stories of scientists and tech...

Alex Challans started writing about quantum computing right before Google’s big announcement in 2019. Since then, he’s expanded his company from one publication–The Quantum Insider–to four and built a data intelligence company. He shares his assessment of the state of the quantum industry and advice on how to keep up with a steady flow of scientific advancements and patent filings. Alex Challans i...

Bard Professor Paul Cadden-Zimansky wants everyone from kindergarteners to CEOs to celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology in 2025. One of his goals for the initiative is to illustrate the many pathways to jobs in science and technology. He shares his own story that includes both a C in high school physics and a successful career as a professor and superconductivity rese...

Brian Lenahan founded the Quantum Strategy Institute to demystify quantum technology for the global business community. As a Quantum Top Voice on Linked In, he does this via informative and interesting posts and through his three-times-a week newsletter, “Quantum’s Business.” In this interview, he explains why every organization needs a quantum strategist and why evaluating quantum solutions doesn...

QAI Ventures just celebrated its first anniversary as a $50 million, early-stage venture fund and startup accelerator. Anca Albu is the chief marketing officer at QAI Ventures and works with entrepreneurs to help them craft compelling stories about their work. She helped build the largest and most active angel investor network in Switzerland, so she knows what it takes to build a community of fund...

Professor Chris Ferrie has straightforward advice when it comes to explaining quantum technologies to audiences of all ages: Keep it simple and keep it fresh. He also has some suggestions about how to finetune your BS detector and sort the hype from the real advancements in the quantum industry.  In this episode, Chris describes his writing strategy for his books ranging from “Quantum for Babies”...

Are we seeing now, or will we face a quantum winter? HKA asks research analyst James Sanders about quantum computing’s prospects into 2024. Well-read and informed, James has a deep understanding of the computing infrastructures that power enterprise workloads. He researches quantum computing and networks as well as public, hybrid and private cloud platforms to help clients make the right choices f...

Quantum technology may do a lot for healthcare. Putting data to use in personalized and precision medicine, optimizing nurse scheduling and enabling doctors to see neurons sparking across the brain are a few examples. Nardo Manaloto is working to solve healthcare challenges using innovation, enterprise architecture and emerging tech to impact clinical care and improve business operations.  Managin...

Sergio Gago works with quantum algorithms at Moody’s Analytics and tracks quantum industry news in his popular Substack newsletter, Quantum Pirates . The serial interim CTO, investor, and entrepreneur has deep experience in tech but is not afraid to poke a little fun at the industry. In this episode of The Quantum Spin , Sergio shares his expertise in quantum computing and quantum information syst...

Doug Finke has been pioneering what we know and how we think about supercomputing, high-performance computing and now quantum computing for nearly half a century. The renowned quantum computing journalist, analyst and expert tells The Quantum Spin about communicating and curating quantum news and why you don’t want to write a press release to impress your mom. Doug is an accomplished computer indu...

Jacob Siderman is a member of the first-ever class of the UCLA Master of Quantum Science and Technology (MQST) program and a Quantum Optoelectronics Graduate Intern at HRL Laboratories. Jacob joins host Veronica Combs to talk about the new quantum master’s program and what he’s learned at UCLA, HRL Laboratories and HKA, where he completed a previous internship. Jacob is passionate about the develo...

Host Veronica Combs asks Kenna Hughes-Castleberry about quantum marketing and communications, what's new at the emerging quantum hub of Boulder, CO and her fascinations with octopuses and crows. Kenna is the Science Communicator at JILA, a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST (National Institute for Standards & Technology), and Editor-in-Chief of their journal  Li...

Host and HKA Account Manager Veronica Combs interviews her boss, HKA Executive Vice President Mike Kilroy. Both experienced marketers and trained journalists, they discuss how they communicate the quantum industry's complex subject matter and help companies share their quantum tech innovations and business growth with the world. Mike is the backbone of HKA, guiding the quantum practice as well as...

Welcome to The Quantum Spin , the #1 podcast at the intersection of quantum computing + technology and marketing + communications, where the ultimate quantum communicators talk media, messaging and emerging tech. Host Veronica Combs is a quantum tech editor, writer and PR professional. She manages public relations for quantum computing and tech clients as an account manager with HKA Marketing Comm...