FirstQFM at NORDEEP 2026

Helime Ruotsalainen attended NORDEEP 2026 in Espoo, Finland, on behalf of FirstQFM, joining founders, investors, researchers, corporates, and other participants from across the Nordic and European deep-tech ecosystem.

The fifth-anniversary edition opening ceremony included remarks from Vedat Öndas, CEO of ArcticStartup, which organizes NORDEEP. The two-day event brought together companies and research teams working across areas including future computing, semiconductors, photonics, AI infrastructure, advanced materials, energy, and other science-based technologies with a strong focus on commercialization, investment, pilots, and industry partnerships.

Among the main-stage discussions was “The Global Deep Tech Status Quo: Navigating the Capital Stack & Sovereign Alpha,” featuring Vadim Shpak of Vickers Venture Partners, Kadi-Ingrid Lilles of Iron Wolf Capital, and Patti Pan of Solaris Venture Partners, moderated by Vannett Li. The discussion examined how resource resilience can contribute to sovereign advantage and how European approaches to deep-tech financing compare with capital markets in the United States and Asia.

Another especially relevant session for FirstQFM was “Beyond the Hype: The Industrialization of Future Compute,” which brought together participants from quantum technology and venture investment. The panel covered the commercialization and development roadmap for areas including quantum sensing, quantum error correction, and context-aware AI. Participants included Milja Kalliosaari of IQM, Michael Baczyk of Heartcore Capital, and Ion Hauer of APEX Ventures, with Reidar Wasenius moderating.

For FirstQFM, NORDEEP was a valuable opportunity to connect with others across the deep-tech ecosystem and follow discussions closely related to the development and commercialization of quantum technologies.