# Johannes Galatsanos

> Johannes Galatsanos is Co-Founder and CEO of Diffraqtion, a Boston-based quantum imaging startup that has built a quantum camera capable of recovering 95% of photon information lost by conventional sensors - translating to 20x higher resolution and 1,000x faster image processing than any existing optical system. A multilingual MIT and Oxford graduate with Greek-German roots, Galatsanos pivoted from leading AI and data transformation at Novartis to commercializing a decade of DARPA- and NASA-backed quantum photonics research. Diffraqtion won first prize at SLUSH 2025, secured a $4.2M pre-seed round in January 2026, and is targeting satellite launches for space domain awareness and Earth observation by 2028-2029.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Diffraqtion
- **Organizations:** Diffraqtion, Novartis, MIT, University of Oxford, Goethe University Frankfurt, Greentown Labs, The Engine
- **From:** Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece
- **Nationality:** Greek-German
- **Education:** Master of Science in Technology Management (SM MoT), specialization in Quantum Engineering, Quantum Information, and Entrepreneurship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Master's degree, University of Oxford, Undergraduate and Graduate studies, specialization in Artificial Intelligence, Goethe University Frankfurt, Data Strategy Executive Education Certificate, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
- **Known for:** Won SLUSH 100 2025 first prize (€1M equity prize) out of 1,000+ European startups, Won TechConnect Space Innovation Award 2025 ($100,000), Won NASA Space to Soil Challenge ($100,000)

## Career timeline

- **Pre-2018** — Consulting roles in data, AI, and product governance in regulated environments
- **2018** — Joined Novartis; rose to Global Head of Product Lifecycle Management & Change Control
- **2023** — Served as Executive Director, Head of Data for Digital Core Transformation at Novartis; completed UC Berkeley Data Strategy certificate
- **2024** — Co-founded Diffraqtion with Prof. Saikat Guha and Christine Yi-Ting Wang; based in Somerville, MA
- **2025-08** — Won TechConnect Space Innovation Award ($100,000)
- **2025-11** — Won first prize at SLUSH 100 competition in Helsinki (€1M equity prize from Cherry Ventures and General Catalyst); out of 1,000+ startups
- **2026-01** — Closed $4.2M pre-seed round led by QDNL Participations; announced DARPA SBIR Direct-to-Phase II contract ($1.5M)
- **2026** — Featured speaker at SmallSat Europe 2026 and CERA Week; presented at StrictlyVC Athens (TechCrunch event)

## Achievements

- Won SLUSH 100 2025 first prize (€1M equity prize) out of 1,000+ European startups
- Won TechConnect Space Innovation Award 2025 ($100,000)
- Won NASA Space to Soil Challenge ($100,000)
- Closed $4.2M pre-seed round in January 2026, led by QDNL Participations
- Secured DARPA SBIR Direct-to-Phase II contract ($1.5M) for quantum space domain awareness demonstrations
- MIT spinout recognized by NVIDIA Inception Program, NSF, and U.S. Space Force
- Built 12-person team at Diffraqtion to commercialize 10+ years of DARPA/NASA-funded quantum research
- Featured in Defense One, Breaking Defense, Wired, Forbes, and The Quantum Insider
- Published author on TechCrunch

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Presented 'EO Using Quantum Sensing Technology' tech brief at SmallSat Europe 2026
- **2026-03** — Diffraqtion valuation surpassed $100 million
- **2026-01** — Announced $4.2M pre-seed funding round and DARPA SBIR contract; emerged from stealth mode
- **2025-11** — Won SLUSH 100 first prize (€1M equity prize from Cherry Ventures and General Catalyst) in Helsinki
- **2025-08** — Won TechConnect Space Innovation Award ($100K)

## Links

- Website: https://diffraqtion.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannesgalatsanosdueck/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qZkpHvBCyA

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/johannes-galatsanos
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-30