Building a FOAK Supply Chain: Five Steps Before You Order Your First Bolt
- Emin Askerov
- Nov 6
- 3 min read
Most founders think of the supply chain as something that starts after the prototype works.
In FOAK projects, that’s already too late.
Your supply chain starts the moment you begin sketching your pilot.
If you wait until things work to call suppliers, you’ll be fighting lead times instead of managing them.
This post expands on my earlier FOAK Supply Chain Framework.
Here are five steps to build your FOAK supply chain before you need it 👇
1️⃣ Start planning your FOAK supply chain before your pilot
SunFolding learned this the hard way — they hired a COO after landing their first large solar project. By then, their supply chain was already locked and under-prepared.
Lead times don’t shrink because you’re in a hurry. If a vendor needs nine months to get the part you need, you will wait nine months.
When you start designing your pilot, map your supply dependencies:
* Lead times & origin countries
* Material specs & documentation
* Backup vendors & regulatory constraints
You don’t need to list every nut and bolt — focus on the few key items that won’t change between pilot, demo, and FOAK. And start talking to suppliers while your pilot is still on paper.
You’re not asking for quotes yet — you’re stress-testing your assumptions.
2️⃣ Show suppliers the money (or at least the commitments)
Suppliers don’t worry about your technology — they worry about getting paid. Even when I represented Rosatom — a state giant — some suppliers still wanted to see project approvals before committing.
For startups, investment commitments speak louder than promises. If you’ve secured funding for a pilot or demo, make it known. A credible investor or corporate backer boosts your standing.
Even better if that backer could become a customer for your supplier — they’ll see you as a gateway, not a gamble.
3️⃣ Secure customer commitments early
Nothing calms suppliers like a real buyer at the end of the chain. When we built a wind-turbine supply chain in Russia, we had 660 MW of projects with guaranteed payments.
That 10-year visibility changed everything. Suppliers invested in specialised presses and moulds just to serve us.
Your startup may not have that scale, but the principle is the same. MOUs are nice. Conditional offtakes or long-term terms of reference are better. The harder and longer the customer commitment, the easier your supplier conversations.
4️⃣ Choose the right kind of suppliers
Big name suppliers bring credibility and support — but they move slowly, negotiate hard, and prioritise their largest clients when things get tight.
Smaller or mid-size suppliers move faster, adapt more easily, and often love being part of something new. They might even promote your partnership to others.
Of course, that comes with risk. CustomCells survived the collapse of Lilium, but it was a close call. If your supplier is also a startup, make sure they can survive your FOAK cycle.
5️⃣ Build trust and professionalise procurement
When your shipment is stuck in a port, you want your supplier to pick up the phone and care. That doesn’t come from contracts — it comes from trust. Suppliers judge you by your RFQs, contracts, and payment discipline. A vague order process or late payment pushes you to the bottom of the list — or adds a “startup premium.”
Hire at least one person who speaks both “startup” and “procurement.” And remember: trust is built in the small things — answering fast, checking quality before shipment, and being transparent about delays.
Bottom line
A FOAK supply chain isn’t a logistics problem. It’s a relationship problem under pressure.
Start early. Show you’re credible. Bring customers and suppliers into your journey before the first purchase order. Because once you hit the FOAK phase, your scarcest resources will be time and trust.
💬 What was the hardest part of building your own supply chain — lead times, contracts, or trust?
