This Week's Expert Blog Post

May 25, 2026

Each week we spotlight one of our 12 experts in the Quantum Experts Forum, giving them the opportunity to provide expertise from their specialty. Today, we are presenting something a little different. We invited each of our experts to weigh in on a single question. As you will see, each has a unique approach to their answer. We think you will enjoy reading their views.  

Our Question:

What capability do quantum organizations most underestimate when preparing to scale—capital, talent, governance, partnerships, or market education?  

Quantum Expert Forum Responses:

"In quantum technologies, organizations most underestimate market education. While capital, talent, governance, and partnerships are visible hurdles, the deeper challenge is translating quantum’s abstract value into business language that customers and executives truly grasp. Quantum solutions often solve problems buyers don’t yet know they have—or don’t believe are solvable. Without deliberate, sustained market education, even superior tech fails to cross the adoption chasm. Successful scaling, in today's reality, demands investing early in use-case storytelling, proof-of-value pilots, and ecosystem literacy programs—capabilities that create demand rather than merely respond to it." 

- Brian Lenahan 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

 “While capital requirements are well recognized across the quantum hardware landscape, the primary barriers to scaling center on strategic focus and talent acquisition. In a fast-moving ecosystem, companies must resist chasing every open market and instead anchor their strategy on their most defensible, differentiated strengths. On the talent front, recruitment is a high-stakes lever. Success hinges on finding individuals who balance specialized expertise with the cultural agility required for high-growth environments. Moreover, deep tech fields carry a unique operational complexity: managing the cultural and strategic divide between academic founders and commercial leaders. Aligning these two distinct perspectives is one of the most critical challenges facing quantum executives today.”

-Jessica Richman  

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Scaling is always challenging and it often involves skills and resources that are quite different from those that led to the scaling opportunity.  This is especially challenging for manufacturing businesses because building a large quantity of products is very different from building a prototype, so I would categorize “market education” as the main challenge.  In this context, understanding the full set of obstacles is a must, including lead times and reliability of supplies, assembly and testing dynamics, user interfaces (GUI, spec sheets and operating manuals), and edge cases for what customers may ultimately do with the product, are all vitally important and often after-thoughts rather than key competencies.  I often hear company executives say “we have built our working prototype, we are 90% there.”  But the reality, from required time, money and grief, is that they are more like 10% of the way there.” 

-Russ Fein 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

 “Organizations often underestimate the importance of partnerships when preparing to scale. While capital, talent, and governance are critical, strong strategic partnerships are frequently what enable companies, particularly technology organizations, to successfully enter and penetrate markets outside their immediate geographic region. Local partners can provide market access, distribution channels, operational support, regulatory familiarity, and customer relationships that would otherwise take years to develop independently. 

One of the most effective ways for technology companies to establish strong partnerships is through the development of robust intellectual property portfolios. Strong patent and trademark protection not only in the company’s home country, but also in jurisdictions where expansion is anticipated, can significantly increase market credibility and negotiating leverage. Well-developed IP portfolios often create licensing opportunities, enhance market competitiveness, and provide potential partners with confidence that the company’s technology is differentiated and defensible. In many cases, strong intellectual property protection becomes a catalyst for strategic alliances, joint ventures, investment opportunities, and long-term international growth.” 

-George Likourezos 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Organizations most underestimate governance. 

Governance is how a growing organization determines what stays true, who gets to decide, and what cannot be traded away. 

Building across the continent through the Africa Quantum Consortium has taught us this: in emerging fields, trust comes before scale. Credibility, talent, and partnerships only matter if the people involved still understand what they are building together. 

The drift is subtle. Partners multiply, each renaming the mission in their own language, and shared meaning gets thinner. Coordinators lose clarity on what they are actually authorized to do. The work continues, but for whom and toward what becomes less clear. 

Good governance catches that drift while people still remember what they agreed to. It keeps urgency and influence from quietly rewriting the mission. 

Quantum systems lose coherence under noise. So do organizations. 

Scaling is not just getting bigger. It is protecting what you set out to do as you grow.” 

-Farai Mazhandu 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

“From our vantage point, one area we see minimized, or even ignored, too often is market education. To move to the next level, companies need to effectively, and consistently, tell their story to the audiences critical to their success.  

Market education encompasses many forms of communication, all aimed at ensuring the company’s audiences (i.e., investors, customers, partners, employees) are kept informed of company progress.

Regardless of form, target audiences must be given accurate and compelling content to create both visibility and credibility. Content in websites, newsletters, webinars, videos, blogs, social media, white papers and more, bring visibility when directed to the right audiences. For credibility, nothing beats “earned” media, referring to unpaid media coverage that generally occurs through a strategic PR program. Earned media is more important than ever today because AI tools increasingly cite media coverage more than any other form of content. To scale up, companies must remain visible and be considered credible.”  

-Hilary Kaye 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Rather than pinpointing one thing organisations most underestimate I would start by saying that each is different and faces unique challenges.  

One thing we see overlooked when it comes to hiring is that there is a person attached to the talent. People are all different with personal motivations and desires. Understand what makes them tick. 

Having a consistent big picture structure across the workforce is important for managing an organisation as it scales, but if you forget the individuals you'll undermine all of the hard work. Create a culture that matches your organisation’s values rather than import a generic cultural suggestion from outside of the business that doesn't incorporate the uniqueness that makes your business special.” 

-John Barnes