Conventional startups are characterized by their focus on gradual improvements and process optimization. These companies immerse themselves in the development of products or services that satisfy generally pre-existing needs in the market. They often employ existing technologies, perfecting them to provide more effective or efficient solutions. In this field, the risk associated with conventional startups tends to be moderate, with a development and commercialization timeline that is generally shorter.
On the other hand, deeptech startups venture into a more disruptive realm of innovation. Based on cutting-edge scientific and technological advances and research, they seek to address challenges previously unmet or unimagined. Leading the essence of innovation, these startups often strive to transform entire industries and redefine established paradigms. Although this ambition has the potential to generate large-scale impact, it carries a higher risk by venturing into developing territories, which tends to prolong the development process and require substantial financial investments.
In terms of impact, conventional startups can generate tangible improvements in specific market niches and optimize process efficiency. Although significant, these improvements tend not to drastically alter their respective industries. In contrast, deeptech startups are at the forefront of the technological and health revolution, with the potential to completely redefine how industries operate. By developing technologies that mark a before and after, these startups have the power to leave a lasting and large-scale footprint.
Although they differ in their approaches, both categories are essential for the business ecosystem. Conventional startups bring refinement and continuous improvement, while deeptech challenges the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. Each contributes uniquely to value creation, the evolution of industries, and the building of an innovative future.
Both categories are essential for the business ecosystem
Conventional startups, in their quest for market validation, often face the crucial risk of whether customers will embrace their solutions, of creating a value proposition adapted to their needs. Deeptech startups, on the other hand, face not only market risks but also invention risks. For them, the dual validation of their business model and the viability of their technology is a complex task that underscores the complexity of their trajectory.
In the universe of deeptech startups, the concept of Minimum Viable Product (MVP) takes on a unique dimension. The prototypes developed by these companies must not only validate market demand but also the viability of their research. This distinctive approach usually requires more time and a greater investment than that needed for prototyping conventional startups.
In conclusion, the journey of deeptech startups must consider that they face a longer ‘time to market’ and a higher initial investment compared to conventional startups. For this reason, it is important that they have ecosystems that can provide them with the necessary support to accelerate their market access and allow these transformative innovations to become a reality with a lasting impact.
