What the commercial case has to show
Reviewers and later investors look for the same thing: evidence that someone will pay. For a deeptech company that is rarely revenue yet. It is named buyers, real conversations and a path from pilot to paying customer.
- Who the buyer is, as a role inside a named company, not a market size.
- What the buyer gets, in their words and measured in what they already track.
- Where the company stands with them: introduced, in conversation, in a pilot, in an agreement.
Partnerships are the strongest proof
A letter of intent or a joint development agreement with an industry leader says more than a market forecast. At Reselo the joint development agreements with leaders in automotive, tyres and sportswear were what turned a materials story into a commercial one. The first was signed in about three weeks from the introduction.
The mistakes I see most
These are the gaps that cost companies deals and slow the investor conversation:
- Materials written for scientists, so procurement and innovation teams cannot say yes.
- A market described from the top down, with no list of the companies and people behind it.
- No process for follow-up, so good first meetings go quiet.
- One large ask instead of a small staged first step.
How to prepare
Start with the buyer map, then rebuild the pitch and executive summary around it, and begin outreach before the application is decided. Two or three real conversations change the quality of every document that follows.
In the Tech to Market programme I help EIC-backed researchers and innovators with exactly this: translating science into a commercial case.
Questions
When should an EIC Accelerator company start on the commercial side?
Before the application is decided. Conversations with buyers sharpen the application and give you evidence to show.
Do you help write EIC Accelerator applications?
I work on the commercial case inside them: the buyers, the partnerships and the pipeline. I do not write the technical sections.
What is EIC Tech to Market?
A programme of the European Innovation Council in which selected experts support EIC-backed deeptech researchers and innovators with the commercial side. I have been one of the commercial experts since May 2026.
Want to talk it through?
Write me a few lines about the company and where it stands. If it helps, we can start with two hours on your own AI agent, which gives time back in the first week and shows how I work.
Write to me