Services

Most founders who reach out are somewhere between a working pilot and a factory that needs to deliver. They've validated the technology. They know the market exists. And they're hitting walls — with investors, with offtakers, with their own team, or with all three at once.

That's the zone I work in.

Scaling a FOAK isn't one problem. It's a dozen problems arriving at the same time, in an order nobody warned you about. What follows is where I typically step in — the kinds of problems I help with, the shape of the engagement, and whether we're likely to be a fit.

Where I typically help

You need revenue — but your offtake isn't signed yet

For a FOAK, a signed offtake isn't just a commercial milestone. It's what makes your next funding round possible, your supply chain negotiable, and your investors calm. I've negotiated industrial contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars from the operator seat — not as an advisor watching from the side.

I help you structure and negotiate the full commercial pathway: from your first MOU through to a binding offtake agreement, including pricing logic, risk allocation, and the negotiation positions that protect you without losing the deal.

Relevant if: You have potential offtakers in conversation but aren't converting them, your current draft terms worry you, or you don't yet know how to find the right first customer.

You need to raise — but your materials aren't ready

Most FOAK fundraising fails not because the technology is weak, but because the story isn't built for the people writing the cheques. I've sat on both sides of that table. I know what European deep-tech investors are looking for, and I know the specific gaps that kill otherwise fundable deals — an unrealistic roadmap, a missing team, no unit economics, no clear path from pilot to NOAK.

I help you build the full fundraising package: pitch deck, financial model, investment teaser, and negotiation strategy. And I tell you honestly if something isn't ready, before an investor does.

Relevant if: You're preparing for Series A or beyond, your current deck isn't landing, or you want an experienced operator's read on your materials before they go out.

You need to execute the FOAK itself

Site selection. Capex planning. Supply chain. HR and training. Investor reporting. The hundred decisions between a working demo and a factory that delivers on time and on budget. This is where most FOAK projects break — not because the technology stops working, but because the execution disciplines aren't there.

I help you build a FOAK execution plan that is both realistic and investable, and I stay involved through the critical phases where decisions have the longest consequences.

Relevant if: You're moving from demo to FOAK, you're already in construction and hitting unexpected walls, or your investors are asking for a credible scale-up roadmap you don't yet have.

You need to manage the people around your FOAK

Corporate investors who want more control than they're entitled to. Strategic partners who move slowly and blame you for it. A board that doesn't fully understand what building a FOAK actually involves. These relationships can derail a project as surely as a technical failure — and they require a different kind of navigation.

I help founders manage investors, corporate partners, and boards from a position of clarity rather than anxiety — including taking an independent board seat where that's the right tool.

Relevant if: You're dealing with a difficult investor relationship, preparing for a board conversation you're not sure how to handle, or navigating a corporate partner who is starting to slow you down.

How I engage

I don't hand over reports and disappear. Every engagement I take involves direct, hands-on involvement — in your meetings, your negotiations, your decisions. I've been the person in the room where those decisions get made, and I know what it costs when they go wrong.

Engagements typically take one of three shapes.

A focused session (1–2 hours)

For a specific, well-defined problem. A pitch deck that isn't landing. A contract with a clause you don't like but can't articulate why. A technology you need a fast read on. We get on a call, I give you my honest assessment and a set of concrete next steps. No fluff.

A project engagement (1 week to 1 month)

For larger challenges that need structured thinking and real deliverables. This could be a market map for an investor, a sales strategy for a new geography, a full offtake negotiation package — LOI, MOU, term sheet, negotiation positioning — or a FOAK execution plan built to withstand investor scrutiny. I work closely with your team and produce something you can act on immediately.

An ongoing advisory role (2 months or more)

For founders who need an experienced partner through a critical phase — a funding round, a FOAK build, a commercial scale-up. I become part of your extended team. This can include taking an independent board seat if that's useful for your governance structure and investor relationships.

Who I work with

I work with a small number of clients at any time — primarily founders and operators scaling cleantech hardware, and occasionally investors who need operator diligence on a deal.

I'm most useful to you if:

You're past the lab and moving toward commercial scale
You're dealing with problems that require someone who has built factories, negotiated industrial contracts, and managed investor relationships from the operator seat — not just advised on them
You want direct, honest input, even when it's uncomfortable

I'm probably not the right fit if you're pre-product, looking for a generalist business coach, or need someone to validate decisions you've already made.

The first step

The first conversation is free. One hour, no agenda imposed — you tell me where you're stuck, I tell you honestly whether and how I can help.

If there's a fit, we agree a scope. If there isn't, I'll tell you that too, and point you toward whoever might be more useful.