People, partnerships and perspective: A conversation with Jaana-Komscha Härkönen

A conversation with, Jaana Komscha-Härkönen, VP Strategic Partnerships & External Relations, Quanscient 

Introduction

Quanscient works where advanced simulation and quantum technology meet real engineering challenges. Building relationships around that kind of technology takes more than technical expertise. It also takes people who can connect industries, understand business needs, and bring the right conversations together.

At Quanscient, that is the work of Jaana-Komscha Härkönen, VP of Strategic Partnerships and External Relations. Jaana brings years of experience in entrepreneurship and business to a company built around researchers and engineers.

We talked with Jaana about how she came to Quanscient, how she approaches partnerships, and what the company looks like from where she stands.

Finding Quanscient

Jaana first got to know Quanscient through a business contact who worked at the company. Around the same time, quantum technology was coming up more and more at the startup events she attended.

As she followed the company's work, she saw an opportunity. "I started to wonder why I didn't see anyone from Quanscient at the policy meetings and meetups I was going to. I felt the company deserved to be in the same room, at the same table."

Instead of waiting for an open position, she reached out with an idea of how her experience could contribute. "I told them what I could bring along, and suggested it might be something they would need."

It turned out the management team had already been discussing a similar role. The conversations moved quickly, and Jaana joined as VP of Strategic Partnerships and External Relations.

France Quantum Conference, 2026

Learning from the team

Getting to know Quanscient's technology meant spending time with the people who built it. From the start, Jaana talked with researchers in the quantum team about their work and the problems they solve.

"Everyone was so happy to share and help me. I felt I could ask whatever came to my mind."

She also learned through practice. At events, on panels, and in conversations with professionals from other industries. "I trust learning by doing. Bit by bit, the pieces came together."

Her years as an entrepreneur helped. Running a business means making decisions in unfamiliar territory, and she brought the same confidence to a new field. She also knows when a question calls for a specialist. "If there's a detailed technical question, I have a person on our team who can answer it."

That division of roles is part of how Quanscient works. "My role isn't to be the researcher. When a customer comes with a problem, I want to find the angle where we can help them."

Building relationships, one person at a time

Jaana describes much of her role as opening doors. She builds connections at events and through follow-up, then brings potential customers together with Quanscient's technical team. "Events are door openers. The real work is the follow-up."

Her approach starts with the person. At a recent event, she was seated next to a visitor who looked tired after a long schedule. Instead of introducing Quanscient, she asked whether it was his first time in Finland.

"We talked about Finland, his trip and his busy schedule. He looked relieved that I wasn't trying to sell him anything."

Some people prefer to go straight to business, and Jaana adapts. But she finds that a personal connection is what makes a conversation last. "I want to meet people as people first, and get to know the person behind the business mask."

Staying in touch matters as much as the first meeting. Alongside direct follow-ups, she shares Quanscient's work on her own LinkedIn. "Leaders get a lot of messages. You need to find ways to stay in their mind."

Making technology relevant to business

Across the quantum industry, Jaana sees a need for more people who can speak to business value. "The discussion is often very science- and engineering-based. You almost need to be a physicist to follow it."

Business leaders want to know what problem a technology solves and why it matters to them. So her conversations start there. In aerospace, for example, more efficient simulation can save engineering teams time and money. "The message needs to be clear, short and simple. Less technology, more business use cases."

When the person across the table is an engineer or a scientist, the conversation goes further into the technology, and Quanscient's researchers and engineers take it from there.

Preparing international events

Jaana treats every major event as a project with clear goals. "I never go to events just to be at the events."

One that stands out is the Quantum World Congress near Washington, D.C., where Quanscient took part in a Finnish delegation. Much of the work happened beforehand. The team built a list of potential customers, and Jaana reached out and invited them to meet Quanscient at the booth.

"Most of them did not even reply, but they came." For Jaana, it showed that outreach works even when the answer doesn't arrive by email.

Each event also shapes the next one. "There's always something you can do better next time. That keeps my motivation going."

Quantum World Congress, 2026

The culture at Quanscient

Shared values were part of Jaana's decision to join. Before her first meeting with the our CEO and Co-founder, Juha Riippi, she had decided she would only continue if the company's values matched her own.

"After meeting him, I knew this company was led by someone with very good values. Then I met the management team and heard how they talked about values, and it matched everything I believe in." Months later, she says that impression has held.

One moment at a conference captured it for her. Someone asked Industry Prof. Valtteri Lahtinen, Quanscient's Chief Scientist and Co-founder, what he was most proud of at the company. "Without a blink of an eye, he said: our people. It came so naturally. It's very much in the people."

Jaana describes her colleagues as highly skilled experts who share what they know without making a show of it. "They are super talented people, and they respect each other. Treat others well and you'll be treated well."

Diversity and leadership

For Jaana, diversity is one of the things that defines Quanscient. The team brings together people of different cultures, ages, personalities and professional backgrounds.

"It brings color, it brings life. People are accepted as who they are. That might be one of the reasons I fell in love with the company culture from day one."

She sees it as a real advantage. "We're not all from the same background or the same age group. It's exactly the opposite, and that might be one of our company's strengths."

Looking ahead

Jaana is motivated by the chance to be part of Quanscient's next stage of growth. "We have a good product, an excellent team, and the timing is right."

For her, that growth is also about the people behind it. "The founders and the people working here deserve it. In the end, I'm doing it for the people."

What started as curiosity about quantum technology has become a role connecting Quanscient with industries, partners and decision-makers. And like many on the team, Jaana says it's the people who make the work meaningful.