Deep Tech Executive Search for Lab to Market Startups

Most Deep Tech startups fail at TRL 4-5. Greg Smithies – who led finance and operations at Neuralink and The Boring Company, and invested through Fifth Wall – explains how to cross the valley of death, from early storytelling and offtake agreements to the biggest CEO hiring mistake.

Ian Temperton spent five years inside Plastic Energy before becoming CEO in 2021, replacing the founder at a critical moment. He led the shift from pilot to industrial scale – executing major projects with SABIC and TotalEnergies. A case study in when the external CEO works.

Dr Simon Thomas never planned to be a founder. After 12 years inside TSMC and Samsung, he wanted a break – then Colin Humphreys asked if he could make graphene at wafer scale, something Samsung spent $2.2 billion failing to do. Five weeks later, a breakthrough.

Dr. Jan Goetz never planned to be CEO – he wanted to be a professor. But when his co-founder asked about starting a company, he followed his gut. Seven years later, IQM is Europe's largest quantum company, heading towards US IPO and just secured €50M from BlackRock. A rare, personal look at the founder CEO journey.

Professor John Mankins co-invented Technology Readiness Levels and wrote the 1995 white paper that introduced TRLs to the world. From Apollo-era NASA to the Pentagon, he reveals how this framework became the universal language of Deep Tech – and why it's a 'contact sport', not a calculation tool. Essential for anyone measuring innovation progress.

Hailey Eustace, founder of Commplicated, on why 55% of Deep Tech companies fail within five years: it's not the technology - it's communication. Product-market fit, fundraising, winning customers, building culture - all communication problems. Her starting point: define your one thing for 2026. What single message do you want everyone to know? Build from there.

Josh Western, CEO of Space Forge, reveals how manufacturing semiconductor substrates in microgravity solves fundamental crystal structure problems that plague Earth-based production. But Space Forge is really five startups bundled together - and the integration is their advantage. His North Star? Making space manufacturing so ubiquitous that it becomes boring.

Richard Murray, CEO of Orca Computing, reveals how starting with just £1.5 million forced his team to abandon the pursuit of fault-tolerant quantum computers for 'useful' ones instead. He explores the two religions of quantum computing, redefining quantum advantage, and why recruiting for 'comfortable with ambiguity' matters more than technical brilliance in Deep Tech.

“I don’t understand why it was technology first - ‘this is the technology, let’s go find someone now.’ The people and the technology are equally important. Our view is that we would like to develop the talent in parallel with our discovery of the technology, because in the end, good people are busy and they’ve got lots of options. How do you get them to care about something?” - Keong Chan reveals how Out the Back Ventures is revolutionising early-stage deep tech investing by building global university and national laboratory relationships from Perth, Australia.

When you grow your team, your startup moves to the suburbs and has kids. You’re no longer agile, you have certain risks you didn’t have before. People put pressures on organisations to grow for the sake of it, believing that growing the team adds value on its own. But it’s not quite as simple as that. James Arnold draws on his experience at billion-dollar unicorns Lilium and Arrival to reveal why rapid scaling destroys Deep Tech startups and what we can learn from spectacular failures

There's a false security in the fact that there's a patent there that makes people think we can take our time. Apple patented the click wheel in 2004 and launched the iPhone in 2007 - those patents became basically worthless. You need to build a culture of pace and execution from the off. - Dave Grimm reveals how Albion Ventures transformed university spinouts through a decade-long partnership with UCL, creating new models for equity, pace, and founder transitions that actually work for Deep Tech companies

‘We asked this really audacious question: would it technically be possible today, with lots of money and lots of great people, to build a million-qubit trapped-ion quantum computer? It turned out once we went through that hard work that it would technically be possible - really difficult, really hard, no doubt - but we saw a way of doing that.’ - Dr Sebastian Weidt reveals how Universal Quantum transformed from academic research into a mission to build quantum computers at unprecedented scale. Discover the lab-to-market lessons from one of Deep Tech's most ambitious journeys.

‘The trouble is when we start to build a business, we think we're building a business, but we're not, we're testing an assumption. If you start a business thinking that you are building a business that's inherently wrong. You are only ever a tester of assumptions.’ - Mark Bjornsgaard, founder and CEO of System Two Group, challenges Deep Tech Leaders to rethink their approach to commercialisation. With eight successful exits including Deep Green Technologies (sold to Octopus Energy for £200 million), Mark argues that lean principles can revolutionise how Deep Tech companies validate their path from lab to market.

‘We were very fortunate with early investors who liked the scientific argument for the spherical tokamak being very efficient and they loved the properties of the high temperature superconductor. Our investors could easily see the potential, even if the business model might need to change over time to get the whole job done.’ - Dr. David Kingham reveals how Tokamak Energy transformed from three scientists with £200,000 into a global fusion leader achieving 100 million degree plasma temperatures. Discover the lab-to-market lessons from one of Deep Tech's most ambitious journeys.

Join Peter Nieuwenhuizen, former CTO at AkzoNobel, as he shares insights into scaling chemical startups, overcoming regulatory hurdles, and driving sustainable innovation. Explore how chemical engineering technologies can evolve to support a circular economy and meet market demands. Perfect for entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders navigating the lab-to-market journey in the chemical industry.

Host Chris Reichhelm sits down with Dr David Cleevely CBE FREng FIET to explore the challenges of scaling Deep Tech in the UK. They discuss the critical importance of talent, senior leadership, value-adding boards, serendipity's transformative role in innovation, and how strategies in the UK compare to those in the US and China. Gain insights into building thriving Deep Tech ecosystems.

How do university spinouts shape the future of Deep Tech? Marc Singer, Managing Partner at Osage University Partners, dives deep into the lessons learned from 30+ years in venture capital. With experience spanning over 150 investments, Marc shares key insights into what makes university spinouts successful, the traits of top founders, and the challenges of scaling innovations from lab to market.

Join host Chris Reichhelm on Lab to Market Leadership as he speaks with James Finlayson, CTO of Impact Recycling, about scaling BOSS - a breakthrough plastic recycling technology that achieves 98% purity in separating ‘hard-to-recycle’ plastics. With over £70 million in contracts, James offers insights on funding, cultivating impactful culture, and building resilient teams for market success.

Explore the most undervalued skill in Deep Tech – management. Successful entrepreneur Chris Perkins shares insights from his journey through two startup exits, revealing why effective management is crucial to scaling startups and achieving lasting success. In this episode, he highlights strategies and leadership practices that drive growth and innovation for companies on the Lab-to-Market journey.

Join Chris Reichhelm and Eric Mayes, PhD, CEO of Endomag, as they explore the complete lab to market journey of a MedTech startup. Eric shares how he led Endomag from a university spinout to profitability and a $310M acquisition by Hologic. Learn valuable insights on navigating regulations, securing funding, and making a global clinical impact - essential listening for anyone in Deep Tech.

Rob Davies joins Chris Reichhelm to share insights on the challenges and innovations in scaling 6K Energy’s battery tech. Learn about their pioneering efforts in additive manufacturing and strategic leadership in the energy sector. Discover how 6K Energy is pushing the boundaries of sustainable tech to shape the future of energy storage. Listen now!

In this episode of Lab to Market Leadership, Chris Reichhelm talks with Paul Mascarenas OBE, former CTO of Ford Motor Company, about the challenges and opportunities for automotive startups. Now an investor and board member, Paul shares insights on innovation, partnerships, and scaling in industrial sectors. Listen now!

In this episode of Lab to Market Leadership, Chris Reichhelm interviews Kevin Chen, Managing Director of Lam Capital, to explore what makes semiconductor startups stand out. Kevin, with leadership experience from Applied Materials and a PhD from MIT, shares tips on fundraising, avoiding pitfalls, and building strong boards for growth. Listen now!

In this Reflections episode of 'Lab to Market Leadership', Chris Reichhelm, CEO of Deep Tech Leaders, dives into the pivotal question: 'Does the starting point of a deep tech company matter?' By analysing real-world cases like Permasense and Puraffinity, he explores how early decisions can shape commercial success, fundraising, and reduce risks. Listen now!

In this Lab to Market Leadership episode, Chris Reichhelm interviews Synata Bio CEO, Tim Cesarek, on the challenges of bringing innovative chemistry to market. Tim shares insights on specialty chemicals, waste-to-energy, and sustainable aviation fuels, with a focus on leadership, commercialisation, and team building. Essential listening for those interested in the journey of novel chemistry to market success.

Tune in to this episode of Lab to Market Leadership where we interview Dr Andy Palmer, former COO of Nissan and CEO of Aston Martin. Gain valuable insights for young tech companies looking to break into the automotive industry. Discover how to engage with OEMs, navigate product cycles, and the essential skills for success. Don't miss this deep dive into automotive innovation and leadership.

Join us on Lab to Market Leadership as Dr Priya Perumal, Chief Scientific Officer at C2CA, explores moving from university labs to startups. Learn key differences between academic research and the commercial world, and gain valuable insights from Dr Perumal's personal journey. Whether you're an academic or a senior researcher, this episode offers essential advice for navigating the transition effectively. Don't miss out!

Generating revenue from the licensing of IP sounds great in principle but is notoriously difficult to pull off – especially for start-ups.  On this week’s episode, Chris interviews Tony Cochrane, Chief Commercial Officer of Ceres Power, the UK-based fuel cell company. Tony talks about how he and his team were able to grow from £0 – £22m in licensing and services revenue, building relationships with some of the world’s leading industrial companies along the way.

Explore the journey of building and scaling a deep tech semiconductor company in this episode. Scott White, co-founder and former CEO of Pragmatic Semiconductor, takes us through their 14-year story. Delve into founding team dynamics, technology development, scaling strategies, securing over $400M in funding, and navigating leadership transition. Essential listening for deep tech and innovation enthusiasts!

In this episode of 'Lab to Market Leadership', Chris interviews Steve Cook, a 22-year BP veteran and a key player in launching BP’s Launchpad accelerator. Steve sheds light on common pitfalls advanced science and engineering startups face when engaging with corporates. Learn practical strategies to improve your odds of success in corporate partnerships. A must-listen for entrepreneurs and executives navigating the deep tech landscape.