Whether the deep tech venture has just incorporated or has been trading for a few years, the challenge is the same. The technology works but the engineering and commercial foundations needed to scale, attract investment or reach new markets are not keeping pace. Hatch embeds alongside founders and SME teams to close that gap, with engineering and commercial thinking working together so the business develops as fast as the technology.
Most deep tech SMEs hit the same wall. The technology works, the market exists, but the engineering resource to scale, certify and deliver is not there. Hiring takes too long, costs too much and brings in people who understand one side of the problem but not the other. Hatch embeds directly into the business, providing the engineering and commercial capacity to move the product forward without the overhead of permanent headcount. The people who define the commercial strategy are the same people who deliver the engineering programme.
Before anything else, understand where the business actually is. Not where the plan says it should be. Hatch assesses the engineering programme and the commercial foundations together, identifying what is working, what is not and what needs to change to move the business forward.
Hiring takes too long and costs too much. Hatch embeds directly into the business providing engineering and commercial capacity without the overhead of permanent headcount, moving the product forward at the pace the market demands.
Compliance treated as an afterthought costs years. Hatch builds certification into the engineering programme from the start, with the technical depth to navigate the pathway and the commercial understanding to know why it matters.
The technology is moving faster than the commercial foundations beneath it. Hatch stress tests the business model, fixes what is not working and builds the commercial structure the business needs to scale with confidence.
Hatch does not hand over a strategy document and leave. The co-founders have built a transatlantic deep tech company from scratch, raised seed funding, reached commercial certification and exited cleanly. That experience combined with live engineering programmes like the XEVA certification project means Hatch brings both the commercial strategy and the engineering delivery capability to every founder and SME engagement.
Hatch works as an embedded engineering and commercial partner, providing the resource, expertise and delivery capability that most deep tech SMEs cannot afford to hire permanently. From market strategy and business model development through to test plans, certification documentation and product architecture. The engineering and commercial work happens together, in the same room, at the same time, because for a scaling deep tech business those decisions are always the same decision.
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Rooftop wind has a credibility problem. A first generation of products over-promised on siting flexibility, underdelivered on energy yields, and in many cases never reached certification.
Always. No pitch, no obligation, no clock running. The first conversation is about understanding where the business is, what is blocking progress and whether Hatch can genuinely help. If the answer is no, that will be said honestly.
Yes. Hatch works across a range of engagement models from fixed fee project work through to embedded long term partnerships. The Embedded Venture Partner model provides senior engineering and commercial leadership on a retained basis for as long as the business needs it.
Both models are available depending on the stage of the business and the scope of work. Fee based engagements are the default. Equity participation is possible on a selective basis where the work warrants it and the venture is at a stage where equity can be meaningfully priced. Every engagement is transparent about structure from the start.
The UK has the lowest robot density in the G7. This year the government funds Robotics Adoption Hubs and a Central Convening Body to fix that. The catch: it only works if we build it as air traffic control, not a help desk. Here is how, and where Hatch fits in.
Innovate UK has changed direction. A strong technical story is no longer enough on its own. The new strategy aims to build high-potential UK businesses, not fund isolated projects. Assessors calibrate applications against a portfolio-level view of what Innovate UK wants the UK economy to look like. The commercial case is no longer supporting evidence. It is the case for funding. A defined beachhead market, sized credibly. A named first buyer and a reason they buy. A clear line from the grant-funded phase to the work that follows. The founders who win start this work long before the form opens.
A TRL 7 demonstration is not an investment thesis. Neither is a patent filing, a peer-reviewed paper, or a proof of concept. These are necessary conditions. They are not sufficient ones. Sophisticated deep tech investors evaluate four things in parallel with the technology: market validation, beachhead clarity, IP coherence, and team completeness. The weakest of the four sets the valuation. Most deep tech ventures leave the commercial questions until the technology is ready. That sequencing is the standard failure pattern. The most expensive version of it is discovered at the investor meeting.
If you are not sure where to start that is exactly what the first conversation is for. No pitch, no pressure just a conversation.
