Deep Pockets

The European Quantum Technologies Conference - EQTC - 2025 was buzzing! From policy and industry to startups and unicorns, Europe’s quantum ecosystem faces a high-stakes moment. Listen in for interviews, insights, and why this is the moment to hop into quantum. Joining me on this episode are guests from across the quantum ecosystem, sharing their insights on Europe’s high-stakes moment: Support the show

"Complexity is the biggest enemy of security." Janne Uusilehto, a veteran who has led security and privacy engineering at Nokia, Microsoft, and Google, joins the podcast to peel back the curtain on the hidden world of cybersecurity standards. He reveals why industry rivals, like the original mobile phone giants, agreed to rules that ultimately generated massive passive income to intellectual property owners, and how this collaboration actually accelerates innovation. We discuss the emerging threats that keep security leaders up at night, including AI-driven polymorphic attacks and the risks hidden in the code supply chain. Finally, Uusilehto offers his candid take on geopolitics and tech policy, arguing that over-regulation in places like the EU risks stifling necessary innovation. Tune in to understand why investing in people is more critical than investing in tools, and how the rules you never see are securing the digital world you live in. Support the show

In this episode of Deep Pockets, Petra sits down with Chris McClean, Global Lead for Digital Ethics at Avanade, to explore the delicate balance between trust, power, and technology. Chris unpacks his research on the risks and benefits of trusting relationships, and the moral obligations that come with endorsing others. The conversation ranges from the global “grievance” mood captured by the Edelman Trust Barometer to the complexities of AI governance and responsible tech. Chris shares why organizational culture is key to ethical AI, how incentives shape behavior, and why trust isn’t always the goal; sometimes warranted distrust is healthier. It’s a thoughtful deep dive into ethics, responsibility, and hope for a more accountable digital future. Find Chris on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-mcclean/ Find the Edelman Trust barometer 2025 https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometer Podcast homepage https://petrasoderling.com/podcast Support the show

What does it mean to be truly creative in an age of AI? Inspired by the Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein's book 'Sparks of Genius - the 13 thinking tools of the world's most creative people', this episode explores the artistry of interdisciplinary thinking with Jesús Sánchez Herrero. From abstraction and modeling to analogizing and empathizing, we delve into the 13 tools that polymaths use to blend science and art—and ask what makes human imagination so uniquely powerful. Support the show

What does it mean to belong in complex and cutting-edge tech fields? In this episode, we sit down with Juliette De La Rie, CEO of Colorful Matter, to explore how identity, intuition, and inclusion shape the future of deep tech. Juliette shares her personal journey from feeling like an outsider in tech to becoming a powerful advocate for culture-driven innovation. We talk about bridging the gap between hard science and human needs, building community in emerging industries, and why belonging is more than a buzzword—it’s a blueprint for better technology.Also ... hear what happened when I took the unconscious bias test. Juliette de la Rie https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliettedelarie/ Colorful Matter https://www.colorfulmatter.eu/ Support the show

We’ve spoken about the energy industry a few times in this podcast, most recently about innovation in our current nuclear energy power plants. These are the fission based plants. Today, we’re going to learn about the future of nuclear, that is the fusion based nuclear power plants. My guest is Laura Thomas, Chief Strategy Officer at Fuse, a fusion energy company building toward a clean and near-limitless energy source. About Fuse https://www.f.energy/ Laura Thomas https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-thomas123/ Deep Pocket podcast https://petrasoderling.com/podcast Newsletter https://petrasoderling.substack.com/about Support the show

In his book The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida argues that creativity is the nourishment of new economic growth, and introduces the three T's; Technology as a platform, talent to do the creative process, and tolerance from the surrounding society to allow this talent to shine. My guest Ceridwen 'Ceri' Koski, Partner at Denver, CO based law firm WR Immigration lays out the strategies and practical steps for U.S. companies to make the most of creative international talent. Resources: Ceri Koski LinkedIn posts https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceridwenkoski/ WR Immigration https://wolfsdorf.com/ Richard Florida https://creativeclass.com/richard_florida/ Support the show

It's March 2025. The U.S. administration is turning on its allies south, north and east, the EU is amplifying its defense capabilities, Ukraine is being let down, science is under attack, and tech bros keep demand more and more. I'm taking Deep Pockets closer to policy, as now is not the time to be silent. Season 5 will discuss innovation policy in the U.S. and Europe. I will invite guests who bring forward thoughts and ideas on how to build our future on the right side of history. Support the show

Tanya Ramond, technology commercialization architect, authority in Deep Tech, and the founder and CEO of Sapienne Consulting, discusses her recent article on science and engineering policy. Why the adoption of technology, turning R&D into usable products and services, should be the key metric when writing and evaluating policy? Published by Dynamic Tech Media, the article can be found here Tech Adoption in American Policy | Dynamic Tech Media Support the show

Both the United States and the European Union held their big elections this year. The U.S. elected a new President, and changed the balance of power in the House and the Senate that govern 335 million Americans. The EU elected a new Parliament and is in the process of appointing new Commissioners, steering the future for 450 million Europeans. What does this mean in DeepTech? How will this impact Industrial Policy, and the Transatlantic relations? Milja Kalliosaari, Government Relations Manager at IQM Quantum Computers, and Finland's delegate to NATO's Transatlantic Quantum Community shares her insight. Support the show

It’s clear we cannot keep using fossil fuels, and it’s clear that wind and solar alone can’t fulfill all of the increasing energy needs that we have. So something has to be done: We need Innovation. Today's guest is someone who knows everything about nuclear energy, innovation, and their economic impact. Emma Wong is Principal Leader in Nuclear Engagement, Strategy, and Innovation at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). She just finished her secondment as the Senior Nuclear Technology and Innovation Advisor to the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency in the Division of Nuclear technology Development and Economics. What does innovation in nuclear energy look like in 2024? Support the show

The impact of technology has become overwhelming in our societies and in our lives. Technology impacts our personal privacy, our personal safety, but also our national safety, political stability, and even financial well-being. If we think about new fields of science and technology coming into mainstream commercial use - most recently AI and increasingly quantum come to mind - what are the types of things that we should be doing now in order to avoid unwanted consequences in the future. Today's guest is someone who knows this world inside-out. Christina Willis wears many hats; she's a scientist who's career has taken her from industry to the legislation chambers and back again. Support the show

Since 2022, the world’s Quantum ecosystem has gathered in Washington DC to bring a quantum-ready future into focus. As you will hear from these interviews, Quantum World Congress is the world’s premier gathering for quantum technology leaders, innovators, and visionaries. The air was filled with hope, camaraderie, laughter, and optimism. I attended the full 2024 event, including a precursor that was organized by the Embassy of Finland in Washington DC together with Johns Hopkins Science Policy and Diplomacy Group, as well as the pre-event International Forum ... with a microphone in hand. Interviewees in the order of appearance: André König, CEO of Global Quantum Intelligence (GQI) Lincoln Carr, Quantum Education and Research Consultant; Professor of Physics and Quantum Engineering Corban Tilleman-Dick, Founder & CEO of Maybell Quantum Industries, Chair, Elevate Quantum Dr. Bob Sutor, Vice President and Practice Lead, Emerging Technologies, Futurum Group Omid Noroozian, Ph.D., Deputy Chief Technologist, Astrophysics Division, NASA Rajat Ghosh, Manager, National Quantum Strategy Secretariat at Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Canada Aravind Ratnam, Chief Strategy Officer (Q-CTRL), Australia Andreas Masuhr, Head of the Quantum Initiative, Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz (SCNAT), Switzerland Tomas Andersson, Senior Research Officer, Swedish Research Council Lene B. Oddershede, Senior Vice President, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark Jarmo Sareva - Consul General, Ambassador, Consulate General of Finland in New York Petri Koikkalainen, Counselor for Science and Education, Embassy of Finland in Washington DC Fikriye Selen-Okatan, Senior Advisor, Digital Technologies and Startups, Business Finland in New York Celia Merzbacher, QED-C Executive Director at SRI International George Thomas, President of Connected DMV, organizer of Quantum World Congress Support the show

Even though quantum computers are not in wide use yet, it is well known that they have the potential to break the encryption system that is in use in most modern computing systems. Across the globe, governments are beginning to prepare for the opportunities, but also to the threats that quantum computers will introduce. Danika Hannon, Deputy Head of the Quantum Strategy Institute, will tell us how the U.S., Europe, and Asian countries protect themselves against potential future threats. Support the show

Take any device in your home with a screen; your phone, your computer, your TV, there’s a high likelihood that the display is built in South Korea, or by a South Korean company. At the very least whoever built it has licensed technology from South Korea. That’s kind of amazing. How did this Asian country become to dominate this piece of technology? Listen to this story from Government and Innovation - the Economic Developer's Guide to our Future, available in Amazon. Support the show

The EU's Artificial Intelligence Act came into force August 1, 2024. This is the most comprehensive legislation on the topic. What does it entail, who is affected, how to comply? Meeri Haataja, CEO and Co-Founder of Saidot is one of Europe’s leading experts on AI governance. This episode discusses policy, innovation, social impact, and human interest stories of one humanity’s most disruptive modern technology. Support the show

Bob Sutor worked at IBM for nearly 40 years, creating the modern IT infrastructure and industry. His most recent area of expertise, quantum computing, turns out to be the most exciting of them all. In this episode, Bob tells us why we are now in a point in history when the quantum industry needs its "Apollo program", a large scale government funded program and industrial policy that will take us to the next level. Support the show

How does recruiting in AI differ from recruiting in biotech, or quantum? Who is currently hiring, startups, corporations, or the academia? Will deeptech founders ever use professional recruiting companies? Any differences between North America and Europe? Answers to these, and other burning deeptech recruitment questions by Amir Rasool from Orion Technology. Support the show

Season 1 was launched in October 2021 as I was writing by book Government and Innovation, the Economic Developer’s Guide to our Future. I wanted to have conversations with people in the crossroads of technology and government in order to better understand the landscape, and also to collect interviews and material for the book. Which I did, and I’m extremely grateful to all of those people. Season 2 began just as the book was coming out, in February 2023. With season 2 I wanted to give the audience a taste of the book, now that it was available on Amazon. Each episode is loosely linked to a chapter in the book, covering both government funded technologies as well as various means for governments to support innovation. Season 3 opened in the beginning of 2024. Here I wanted to celebrate other nonfiction authors who had written books that talk about, or support the idea of publicly funded research and innovation. I found six fabulous books that everyone who is interested in this topic should read. Having organized, booked, scripted, recorded and edited 27 episodes I must confess I’m looking for something that wouldn’t be so time consuming. Hence, the Random Rendezvous. In Season 4 I can book whoever I want, to talk about whatever they want. No script, no agenda, just a friendly conversation on a topic that’s current or interesting. I will invite people I meet in conferences, online, or authors of books I read. There will always be a link to technology, innovation, or economic development, that’s for sure. But I also want to keep the mind open to discover something new and exciting. I can’t wait to see what it will be. Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy it. Support the show

Claudia Fracchiolla, Public Engagement at the American Physical Society takes us behind the scenes to how the idea to have 2025 nominated as the United Nations's International Year of Quantum happened, who was involved, and what happens next. Support the show