Supporting your firm and its complex tech to succeed

Is your technology built on deep expertise, pushing the boundaries of science and engineering, or intelligent and connected?

Are you driven to create a better future for people and the planet?

As specialists in innovation, entrepreneurship and strategy, we’ve got the toolkit you need.

Don’t settle for conventional business support

Traditional business and management approaches were not designed for complex technologies, systemic multi-stakeholder challenges, or purpose-led firms.

Embrace a different approach to solve big problems and make a lasting impact

Unlock value

Technology designed to make a difference holds value for its users, your organisation, stakeholders and the environment. But truly unlocking that value is multi-dimensional. We take a systems-led approach to realising value for all. Together, we make your complex journey possible.

Navigate uncertainty

Technology innovation inevitably involves uncertainty. Market uncertainty, technological uncertainty, organisational uncertainty, and more. With a powerful toolkit designed to handle just this, we give you the confidence and courage to navigate uncertainty and reduce risk.

Embrace complexity

Ground-breaking technology, science and engineering are complex. So are emerging markets and disruptive change. Intractable challenges demand a systemic approach. Responsible innovation requires careful stewardship. We embrace complexity and systemic design to deliver real-world impact.

Redefine success

Historically, measures of success have focused solely on growth and shareholder returns—sometimes at the expense of both people and the planet. Achieving technology’s full potential for net positive benefit necessitates a shift. We champion a holistic approach that redefines success and harnesses business as a force for good.

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Hypermotive

Making waves with hydrogen fuel cell technology for marine power

Systems engineering firm, Hypermotive, wanted to ensure the market launch of their innovative hydrogen fuel cell system not only made a splash but it demonstrated a deep understanding of customer needs. We empowered the engineering team to develop deep market insights, adopt a human-centric approach to design, and elevate the proposition to truly convey its value. Less than one year later, X-M1 was voted Hydrogen Technology Breakthrough of the Year at the Electric & Hybrid Marine Awards.

What’s your challenge?

Discover ◆ Commercialise ◆ Reimagine ◆ Accelerate ◆ Align

Turning insight into action

Believe it or not, research has shown that a minority of firms are idea poor. Discovering new ideas is usually the easy part. Validating them and putting the discoveries into practice can be hard. We have deep experience in helping organisations to both discover and validate new markets, products, ideas and opportunities.

A range of discovery services

We offer research insights across a range of methodologies, including both primary customer research and comprehensive desk-based analysis.
Our Sprint & Learn^® Intensives combine our expertise with that of your own multidisciplinary team to achieve the breakthroughs you want at a fast pace.
With open innovation or participatory design, we help you collaborate beyond the boundaries of your own organisation to discover something new.
We seek out new propositions, customers, markets, business models, and opportunities for growth.

A proven, evidence-based approach

Our clients have developed innovative ideas, opportunities and technical solutions in a matter of days that with usual business practices, typically take months—and sometimes even years.

Our research is evidence-based and can be backed up with market validation, design, prototyping and testing.

We help solve difficult problems through best practice, learning from cross-sector insights, and applying analogical thinking.

Collaborative, yet objective

You know your organisation and technology better than anyone, so we always work in collaboration with your team. We bring a fresh perspective, the objectivity to challenge assumptions, and a process that is proven to work.

Unlock the value of your technology

Unlocking the value of your technology for customers, end users, your organisation and other stakeholders can be complex. A single technology might result in multiple different products. Disruptive innovations reshape markets. Deep tech ventures depend on a strong ecosystem to thrive. New opportunities often disrupt your own business models. Growth at any stage of maturity can be somewhat of a rollercoaster ride.

You’re building technology that can change the world, and we’re here to help you make that happen. We help you create a lasting and sustainable venture that bridges the gap between your innovation and the impact you want to make.

Commercialisation and growth strategies designed for complex technology ventures

Whether you’re a scrappy startup, an organisation steeped in history, or a key part of the innovation ecosystem, you deserve a partner that understands the distinct challenges of commercialising, scaling and growing complex technologies.

With expertise in innovation, strategy and entrepreneurship, and experience across science, technology and engineering, we empower you to deliver.

Our systemic design approach (which integrates systems thinking and design practices) helps unlock the full potential of your technology. Through our unique value architecture, we ensure value is realised not just through your core technology, but how this translates across your products, services, brand, portfolio, company, customers, market, and intended impact. Focusing on the system as a whole reveals the full potential of your venture.

Supporting your journey—whether startup, scaleup or established organisation

We work with you to first understand your hopes and ambitions, the challenges you face, and the reality of the current situation. Whatever stage you’re at, we tailor our solutions to your needs. We’re experienced in upskilling leadership teams to navigate commercialisation and growth, while managing increasing complexity.

From our Sprint & Learn Jump Start programme to intensive sprints, research insights, development of your strategic playbook, or longer term strategic support, we’re here to help.

Reimagining new propositions and portfolios

Whether you want to reinvigorate your offer or ensure the relevance of your technology in times of disruption and change, it’s rarely about throwing everything away to start again. Sometimes the best opportunities are hiding in what you already do.

We help you to explore what still works, what needs to change, and where new possibilities lie. Together, we (re)imagine new propositions and portfolios. These are both grounded in your strengths and informed by customer insight, future technologies, and shifting market realities.

From MVPs to MVRs

We’re experienced in helping clients to develop both minimum viable products (MVPs) and minimum viable replacements (MVRs). Unlike brand new offerings, MVRs encompass functionality that already exists. Edge use cases really matter; if you can’t support the extremes, you won’t be able to migrate all customers. It’s also important to solve for your most valuable customers first.

Making the most of your portfolio

In our experience, organisations rarely optimise the value of their portfolio as a whole. We help you to map and evaluate your portfolio, ensuring it works as hard as it can to deliver on your overall strategy.

We take a holistic approach that enhances the growth of your core business, while at the same time creating options that build toward your future ambition.

As you introduce change, it’s helpful to create learning opportunities that enable you to validate new propositions with incremental levels of investment that are proportionate to the risk you’re willing to take. Balancing market and organisational uncertainty on the one hand, and technical and execution uncertainty on the other, the aim is to develop a diversified portfolio that balances risk and return.

Balancing the new with the old

In collaboration with your team, we help you to develop offers that are renewed, relevant and ready for the future. Together, we ensure your portfolio strikes the balance between transformation and continuity.

Redefining success with tech for good

Whether you want to accelerate the journey of your own firm or that of other ventures, the path to success for technologies can be complex. Not only are you seeking to sustain a successful and profitable venture, but to make a positive and lasting difference in the world.

Traditional business and management approaches are not always well suited to this combined challenge of balancing purpose and profit. Nor are they designed for complex technology, especially when it addresses demanding, systemic challenges.

We embrace complexity and systemic design to deliver real-world impact. We champion a holistic approach that redefines success and harnesses business as a force for good.

A proven track record

Whether your venture is just starting out or it has been established for many years, we have a track record in enabling organisations to achieve their goals and accelerating their journey to success.

Give your organisation, team and technology a focused boost with our Sprint & Learn Jump Start programme.
Achieve breakthroughs in days, instead of months or years, with a Sprint & Learn Intensive.
Make informed decisions with research insights.
Create a blueprint for your strategy and execution with your own unique strategic playbook.
Solve wicked problems with open innovation.
Engage us as partners in strategy and innovation to amplify your team with both expert guidance and targeted resource.
Deliver interactive training and programmes to one team or many.

Experience across the innovation ecosystem

We’re also experienced in working with accelerators, investor-funded ventures, and higher education to upskill entrepreneurs, founders and teams, helping them achieve product-market fit faster and scale to success.

Defining values and purpose

Values and purpose are the foundation of an organisation. Enduring over time, they define what your organisation stands for and the reason why it exists. This informs everything you do, from the design of your technology to the culture of your team.

Aligning for positive impact

Impact is the long-term effect or change in an outcome caused by a technology and/or organisation. If you are developing tech for good, it’s important that you’re able to articulate the challenges you are trying to solve, the positive impacts you want to produce, and the ways in which you will ensure that impact is meaningful and sustainable.

Collaborative by design

We take a holistic and collaborative approach to help you define values, purpose and impact.

We involve your leadership, staff and other stakeholders.

By guiding you through a structured process, we work with you to affirm your organisation’s core and shape its future. We help you to reflect and to become really intentional about the difference you want to make.

BOOK A CALL with us

Royal Society of Chemistry

Creating the first entrepreneurial ecosystem for deep tech chemistry

After delivering a decade of support for chemistry SMEs, the Royal Society of Chemistry was ready to reinvigorate their proposition. Working collaboratively with the Enterprise Impact Team, we together created, tested and launched Change Makers: a first-of-its-kind ecosystem that brings together startups, scaleups, investors, advisors, mentors and partners united in their commitment to bring about positive change through deep tech chemistry entrepreneurship.

Partnering with you to make a difference

Founders & Teams

Established Businesses

Non-Profit Organisations

Accelerators & Incubators

Investors

Higher Education

Find out more

Widgit Software

From family business to next generation strategy and tech for good at scale

A pioneering software company, Widgit has a passion for enabling everyday moments of communication and connection through a trusted language of Widgit Symbols. With a desire to make the transition from small family business to professional company creating impact at scale, we supported Widgit as long-term partners in strategy. Highlights over more than a decade of work included facilitating the definition of Widgit’s core values; creation and evolution of a formal company strategy; transition from boxed software to SaaS; organisational and role design; formalisation of company governance; creation of a product function; and envisioning the future strategy for Widgit’s products.

Your specialists in

Innovation, Strategy & Entrepreneurship

Whether you’re a scrappy startup, an organisation steeped in history, or a key part of the innovation ecosystem, you’re solving tough, meaningful challenges every day.

You deserve a partner who understands complex technology, cares about your success, and will empower your team to deliver.

Hi! We’re Stocker Partnership, and we love to help firms unlock the true value and impact of their tech.

Between us, we have more than thirty years’ experience of working with over 150 companies and non-profits. Experience spans startups, scaleups, established businesses, charities, accelerators and incubators, investors and higher education institutions.

We are knowledgable in science, technology and engineering, and have a proven track record in getting up to speed on new and complex areas fast. We work with many different kinds of technologies, including software, hardware, materials and deep tech. Sectors are as wide ranging as education, clean energy, healthcare, smart buildings, the circular economy, and many more.

You’ll appreciate our deep expertise in innovation, strategy, and entrepreneurship. We combine the latest thinking with practical experience, making it accessible and tailored to your needs.

Traditional business and management approaches were not designed for technological innovation, systemic challenges or a purpose-driven economy. We embrace a different approach to solve big problems and make a lasting impact.

Our unique Value Architecture^™ framework integrates your technology, products, services, brand, portfolio, company, customers, market, and intended impact. Where suitable frameworks don’t exist, we create our own. We understand the nuances of technology push versus demand pull. We are certified in Design Sprint methodologies by AJ & Smart and Jake Knapp (original creator of Design Sprints).

We stay current with practices used by leading organisations around the world. Amongst other things, our experience spans:

Innovation and entrepreneurial practices, including lean startup, customer development, the diffusion of innovations, discovery-driven planning, and agile methodologies.
Customer insight and human-centred design, including design thinking, user-experience design (UX), customer experience design (CX), design sprints, and customer jobs to be done.
Strategy and business modelling, including commercialisation strategies, business model innovation, productisation and servitisation, platform and ecosystem business models, and digital and ‘as a service’ business models.
Organisational capability and impact, including organisational ambidexterity, responsible innovation, the ABC of enterprise impact, and systemic design.

This expertise, combined with a deep interest in science, technology, and engineering, enables us to work closely with our clients to co-create solutions and to empower you to deliver.

Our founders, Matt Stocker and Debbie Stocker, together have backgrounds that encompass industrial product design, business and psychology. They draw on these foundations to integrate technology with the organisations that create it, the people who use it, and the strategies that enable it to succeed.

Debbie attained a First Class Honours degree in Psychology, while Matt qualified in Management Sciences. Both have a love of design. Debbie has been particularly influenced by applied cognitive science, and the work of Donald Norman, who pioneered human-centred design. Matt has always had a fascination with product design, and completed the first year of an M/Des BSc in Industrial Product Design before transferring to Management Sciences.

Both have enhanced these foundations over more than 20 years through continuing professional development, extensive research, academic teaching, and immersing themselves in the latest thinking.

*Just in case you were wondering, Matt and Debbie met at university. They are both business partners and a husband and wife team.

We’re a small, hybrid team in the UK that punches above our weight. Despite being a boutique firm, we rival the delivery standard of much larger consultancies. In contrast to such firms however, you will always have director-level access, and our team will be fully versed in all aspects of your project. We’re agile by nature, and we do it with oomph!

We work with local, distributed and global teams, either fully remote, hybrid or in-person. Our directors are based in Coventry, the heart of England, just one hour from London.

We are highly experienced in collaborating with third-party providers and we have a collective of key partners with whom we work closely to help you realise your goals. These include talented graphic designers, web developers, storytellers, software engineers, product designers, and project managers, amongst others.

As guest lecturers at Warwick Business School and Warwick Manufacturing Group, Matt Stocker and Debbie Stocker have taught on a range of topics for MSc programmes. Subjects included business model innovation, lean startup, establishing a new business, venture growth, emerging and digital technologies, and discovery driven planning.

Both Matt and Debbie received an outstanding contribution to postgraduate programmes award from Warwick Business School in recognition of excellent teaching.

Stocker Partnership was an industrial partner for the Marie Curie Centre for Analytical Science Innovative Doctoral Programme (Marie Curie CAS-IDP). With an integrated approach that blended sectors, disciplines and nationalities, the programme sought to produce new ways to solve problems innovatively and efficiently, and to train scientists who thought creatively, innovatively, critically and practically.

We’ve been told that we’re really human partners. We’re proud of the fact that clients describe us as friendly, capable, caring and good at listening. We hope this is your experience too.

We truly care about the impact of our work. We support technologies that aim to create a better future for people and our planet. We care about your organisation and the people we work with. We also care about your customers, end users, and other stakeholders.

Our approach is collaborative, inclusive and facilitatory. We aim to be warm and relatable. We share a strong team ethic and are intentional about creating an environment where everyone is empowered to make a meaningful contribution.

We don’t shy away from difficult conversations but always seek to understand. Within our own team we have diverse perspectives and we don’t always agree. Our experience is this gives others permission to disagree, while simultaneously modelling healthy approaches to finding common ground and creative solutions.

We’ve worked hard to develop an effective partnership and we work alongside our clients to do the same. We believe in stakeholder governance, equity, inclusion, and doing business the right way.

Advanced Propulsion Centre & Zenzic

Facilitating the acceleration of net zero automotive and self-driving technologies

As delivery partners for the award-winning Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP), Zenzic CAM Scale-Up programme, and Mobilise, we have provided training, facilitation, expertise and guidance to more than ten cohorts of start-ups, spinouts and SMEs. Focusing particularly on customer discovery, product strategy and commercialisation, we worked alongside the core team and other partners to upskill and enable ambitious businesses developing zero-emission technologies or Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) solutions.

Ways we can work together

Sprint & Learn^® Jump Start

A modular programme of strategic support for firms commercialising and scaling a technology-led proposition from the ground up, Sprint & Learn® Jump Start is ideal for startups and scaleups. Combining interactive training with agile co-creation and facilitation, Sprint & Learn^® Jump Start quickly cuts to the heart of your key challenges and helps you make real progress.

Jump Start can help you to:

Surface and deliberately design the interdependencies between your technology, products, markets, customer segments, commercial packages and pricing.
Validate your current direction or make a justified, deliberate pivot.
Prototype and stress-test alternative commercial strategies.
Turn your technology into market-ready products, propositions, and commercial packages (because technology and products are not the same thing).
Design the commercial architecture that ensures your technology reaches your customers through a value exchange and unit economics that work, both now and at scale.
Turn insights into decisions, commitments and practical next steps.
Avoid foundational decisions that quietly lock in unintended consequences, disadvantageous constraints, and path dependencies that are difficult to reverse.
Create shared alignment so your team moves forward together.

Format
Jump Start is modular in nature, and topics will be tailored to suit your needs. Delivered using our proven Sprint & Learn^® methodology, each Sprint is a structure, time-bound process that focuses on one carefully chosen strategic lever to unlock insight and enable decisions. Your team doesn’t just receive a strategy—they build it, understand it, and own it.

We offer a range of options for a sprint package tailored to you—from covering the essentials to more enhanced support. Each sprint produces working hypotheses and practical outputs that allow you to rapidly explore, evaluate and refine multiple commercial possibilities. Every sprint includes groundwork, a 4-hour workshop, and structured follow-on support.

Sprint & Learn^® Fast Track

Fast Track is for established firms developing a new technology, pursuing a fresh opportunity, or optimising the commercial model of a new proposition alongside an existing portfolio. Through a carefully curated programme of sprints, we work together to unlock the
value of your new technology in a way that complements your existing business.

Fast Track can help you to:

Shape the relationship between the new technology and your long-term strategy, portfolio, and brand architecture (whether it extends an existing line, diversifies into new territory, or replaces something that’s run its course).
Surface the real questions that established firms face: How do we balance the needs of loyal customers and new ones? What is the relationship to our existing brand? Will this change our business model? What about pricing? How do we navigate the tension between innovation and continuity?
Build on existing competences and competitive advantage to extend what you already do well without having to start from scratch.
Integrate technical design with commercial realities, considering customer segmentation, product differentiation, cross-selling, and cannibalisation risks.
Challenge your team to apply fresh eyes to existing knowledge and old assumptions.
Avoid commercial and technical choices today that quietly lock in unintended consequences and disadvantageous constraints.
Prototype and stress-test alternative strategies.
Create shared alignment, so your team moves forward together.

Format:
Fast Track is an agile strategy engagement that condenses weeks or months of strategic work into hours and days. Delivered using our proven Sprint & Learn® methodology, it combines hands-on development of solutions, design and co-creation, team facilitation, and interactive training. Each Sprint is a structured, time-bound process that focuses on one carefully chosen strategic lever to unlock insight and enable decisions.

The programme of sprints is tailored precisely to your objectives. Typically, sprints include 4-hour virtual workshops. Some programmes include full day in-person workshops at the beginning and end. Every sprint includes groundwork, the workshop itself, and structured follow-on support.

Research Insights

Whether you’re looking to make informed strategic decisions with market insight, deeply understand your customers, or discover new opportunities, our research insights equip you with the knowledge you need. Across a range of methodologies (from primary research with users, customers and industry experts to comprehensive desk-based analysis), we answer not only your key questions but the ones you haven’t yet thought to ask.

Types of research and methods

Interviews
Questionnaires
Card sorting
Field studies
Participatory design
Workflow mapping
Customer journey mapping
Concept and prototype testing
Usability testing
Market analysis
Competitor benchmarking
Trendspotting and foresight
Opportunity identification and evaluation
Case-based insights
Analysis of your own data

Strategic Playbook

Every strategic playbook is unique, highly confidential, and co-created with your team. It serves as a blueprint for your strategy and execution, creating clarity of direction and consistency in implementation. Your playbook brings together customer and market insights with your unique value architecture, competitive advantage, targeted strategies, and coherent actions. It equips your team with a shared vision for the future and a clear roadmap.

Example contents of a strategic playbook

Organisational objectives and long-term goals.
Core values and impact intentions.
Customer segmentation and characteristics.
Market dynamics and opportunities.
The competitive landscape.
Your competitive advantage and key differentiatiors.
Your portfolio strategy and architecture.
The underlying principles of your product, service and/or proposition design.
Possible strategic scenarios.
Expert recommendations.

Please note, our Strategic Playbook is not a standalone service, but is offered in conjunction with Research Insights, Sprint & Learn^® Jump Start, Sprint & Learn^® Fast Track, and/or Partners in Strategy & Innovation.

Partners in Strategy & Innovation

For complex transformations, periods of significant change, or longer-term renewal, sometimes you need more than a project-based intervention. You need a partner who will accompany you on the journey. Engaging us as partners in strategy and innovation amplifies your team with both expert guidance and targeted resource. Together, we connect your current state to your desired future, and navigate any challenges on the way.

Whether you are seeking long-term innovation, reimagining your portfolio, introducing a new leadership team, or navigating disruption, we bring a distinctive blend of executive level know-how and practical implementation.

We don’t just consult. We collaborate closely with your team.
We dig deep under the skin of your organisation and invest deeply in your success.
Recognising that growth and transformation is rarely linear, we provide flexible support that adapts to your evolving needs.
We maintain a careful balance of integration and objectivity, ensuring we’re always able to offer a fresh perspective and enable progress over and above the day-to-day.
Our ultimate goal is to build capability and empower your team, providing you with the skills, insights, and confidence to continue venturing independently.

Open Innovation Challenges

If you are looking to introduce open innovation practices or launch an open innovation challenge, we can help you to make the most of diverse participation to accelerate problem-solving and discover new solutions. The challenges faced by today’s organisations, society and the environment necessitate collaboration and cooperation across disciplines and industry boundaries. Open innovation ensures you don’t go it alone.

Open innovation thrives with diverse perspectives: from academia to industry; individuals to corporations; staff to end users; professionals to people with lived experience; practitioners to the public. It enables a network of diverse but interconnected actors (including both organisations and individuals) to co-create, share and exchange value.

How we can help

Design and development of an open innovation challenge to meet your specific objectives.
Definition of the challenge and its boundaries.
Development of foundational knowledge and a toolkit that sets participants up for success.
Design of activities and resources that encourage multidisciplinary collaboration and mutual understanding across boundaries.
Exploration of the role of experiential knowledge, participatory design and co-production.
Advice on formats and platforms for collaboration, from virtual contributions only to in-person gatherings.
Event design.
Design and development of criteria for participation and achievement of successful solutions.
Identification and recruitment of participants.
Evaluation of contributions.

Interactive Training & Programmes

Whether you want to train one team or many, for just a few hours or via a longer-term programme, we offer customised and bespoke solutions tailored to your needs. Across a wide range of topics, our training is interactive and applied. From introductions that cover the basics to advanced content. By putting theory into practice we ensure participants leave ready and able to make real progress.

Example topics

Below is just a sample list of possible topics. If you have a topic in mind, please just ask.

Rethinking leadership to drive technological innovation.
Navigating tech push versus demand pull.
What exactly is impact tech and the impact economy?
Responsible innovation, unintended consequences and managing risk.
Introduction to B2B customer research and development.
Understanding customer jobs to be done.
Introduction to human-centred design for tech firms.
Identifying make-or-break assumptions and testable hypotheses.
Minimum viable product (MVP) versus minimum viable replacement (MVR).
Using proposition prototypes to test the design of your tech.
Understanding innovation and technology adoption.
Competitors are not always the ones you think.
The new era of philanthropy and tech for good.

Suitable for:

Leadership teams.
Innovation and R&D teams.
Engineering teams.
Product teams.
Accelerators, incubators, venture studios and investors that want to fast-track the growth and commercialisation of early-stage firms.
Investors who want to learn more about the nuances of impact technology and the impact economy.
Higher education institutions that want to provide a practitioner perspective to their students.
Universities wanting to enable technology transfer and commercialisation.
Non-profits that are directly harnessing technology or supporting others to develop meaningful technological solutions to important societal and environmental challenges.

Your Bespoke Project

Although we’ve outlined here the most common ways we work with our clients, we understand that no two projects or clients are the same. Your situation and team is unique. All of our work is tailored. It often incorporates a blend of approaches, and occasionally something entirely new. Where you have bespoke requirements or unique objectives, we can design a delivery format to suit your specific needs. Just ask!

Start by scheduling a free 30-90 minute virtual meeting with us. We’d love to hear all about your opportunities and challenges, and the headlines of what you’re looking to achieve. Even if this feels vague to start with, that’s ok—we can facilitate the conversation to create clarity.

A different way of realising the value in your tech

Value isn’t held only in your technology. It’s created across a system. Value Architecture^™ deliberately designs how value is created by your technology, experienced by your customers and wider stakeholders, and exchanged fairly with your firm.

Unlike conventional approaches that often design technology, market strategy, product, and pricing sequentially, we treat the whole architecture as an integrated system, not separate workstreams.

Value Architecture^™ is a discipline we developed and continue to refine. It is the result of almost 20 years spent helping complex technology ventures unlock their full potential.

Warwick Business School

Addressing wicked challenges in healthcare with open innovation

The WBS Healthcare Case Competition brought together teams from business schools across the world to advance innovative solutions to pressing healthcare problems. Working with WBS staff, students and industry sponsors (including GE Healthcare and Pfizer Healthcare Hub, amongst others), we researched, designed and delivered the challenges at the heart of the competition. Over the course of seven years, topics ranged from patient adherence and digital adoption to the emergency department of the future, dementia, sepsis, atrial fibrillation, and clinical neuroscience.

So, what’s next?

1

Book a discovery session with us

Schedule a free 30-90 minute virtual meeting to share your ideas, opportunities and challenges. Tell us where you’re stuck, what you might like help with, and how you feel we could add value. Even if you really have no idea yet, but want to find out more, that’s ok. Ask us any burning questions you might have. No strings attached.

2

Together we’ll scope your challenge and create a solution

If we’ve sparked your interest, it’s important that anyone with a vital stake in the work is involved in scoping. Together, we’ll dig into the detail of your current situation and what you’d really like to achieve. This enables everyone to get on the same page and us to really understand how we can help. Once your objectives are clear, we’ll carefully design a solution tailored to your needs.

3

Let’s partner for outstanding outcomes

When you’re ready, we’ll get cracking. Our approach is collaborative, so we’ll almost always work closely with you and your team, combining our expertise with yours to help you succeed. You choose us because you feel there’s a good fit and an exciting opportunity. Together we can do amazing things!

Get started today!

Book consultation

Ask us anything

Frequently asked questions

We work across a wide range of complex technologies and sectors, from software to hardware and deep tech.

Technologies

Our key areas of focus are:

Advanced science and engineering technologies. For example, semiconductors, advanced materials, battery technologies, electronics, photonics, alternative fuels, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies, deep tech, and circular economy technologies.
Software, platforms and digital technologies. Typically, these are built on deep expertise and specialist domain knowledge. Our experience covers software as a service (SaaS), enterprise software, embedded software, cloud technologies, big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity.
Intelligent and connected systems. Technologies where hardware, software, data, and/or connectivity converge into systems. For example, Internet of Things (IoT), smart buildings, autonomous vehicles, robotics, sensing technologies, digital health, wearables, and UAVs.

Sectors

Sectors include mobility and transportation, marine, clean energy, HVAC, computing, manufacturing, industrial technology, agriculture, veterinary and life sciences, healthcare and wellbeing, education, sustainability, net zero, the circular economy, and smart buildings and cities.

What if I don’t see my complex tech or sector listed here?

If you don’t see your tech or sector listed here, but want to know if we can help, just ask! We have a proven track record in getting up to speed on new and complex areas fast, from polymers to hydrogen, pharmaceuticals to augmentative and alternative communication.

We’ve been told by several clients that they wouldn’t normally hire consultants but they’re glad they hired us. They tell us that we’re different.

We specialise in complex tech

We deeply understand your technology, and we speak your language. Alongside our expertise in strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship, we bring a strong grounding in advanced technologies, human-centred design and end-to-end product development. We’ve not only helped clients to develop commercial strategies, but to design new features and plan their roadmaps. Our Value Architecture™ framework connects your technology to every decision that depends on it, from propositions and pricing to customers, markets and impact. Where it’s needed, we translate between technical and non-technical audiences, whether that’s your team, investors or customers. And if your tech is new to us, we get up to speed fast.

We care about doing business the right way

We’re a boutique consultancy that truly cares about the impact of our work. We not only support technologies that create a better future for people and our planet, but we care about your organisation, the people we work with, your end users, and other stakeholders. We believe in stakeholder governance, equity and inclusion, and doing business the right way.

We punch above our weight and are agile by nature

Despite being a boutique firm, we punch above our weight, and have been told we deliver to a standard that rivals some of the largest professional services consultancies. In contrast to such firms however, you will always have director-level access, and our team will be fully versed in all aspects of your project. We’re agile by nature, and we do it with oomph!

We collaborate, co-create and develop long-term trusted relationships

We always work in collaboration with our clients, combining our expertise with yours to enhance your insights and co-create solutions. You know your organisation and technology better than anyone. Likewise, it’s important that we empower you to develop confidence in the next steps that only you and your team can take. We’re proud of the fact that we develop long-term trusted relationships with our clients, many of which are 10+ years strong.

Yes, absolutely! We’re experienced in working fully remote, hybrid and in-person. We work not only locally, but nationally and internationally with distributed teams. Our facilitation approaches are informed by best practice, so we’ll use the latest methods to achieve the best with your team no matter whether we are in the same room or a continent apart. Together, we can decide what will be the best format for you.

We work with a wide range of organisations, both for-profit and non-profit.

As well as commercial businesses (startups, scaleups and established firms), we work with the organisations and innovation ecosystems that support them.

We work with universities that are upskilling the innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders of the present and future. We are experienced in working with spinouts, and understand the role of Technology Transfer Offices.

We’ve been delivery partners for accelerators. We have experience of the investment process inside a venture capital fund, and gladly work with investors.

Over the years, we’ve been proud to count both national and local charities as clients. If you are part of a non-profit that is either directly harnessing technology in your work or supporting others to develop meaningful technological solutions to important societal and environmental challenges, we’d love to support you!

We’d love to be able to give you a typical project cost, but because all our work is tailored to the needs of each client, there is no set fee. Project cost varies based on exactly what is required, the complexity of the challenge, the speed at which you need it delivered, and of course, your budget.

Once we learn what you need and have crafted a solution, we’ll be clear and honest about what we’ll deliver and our fee. We also offer fixed pricing, rather than day rates (more below). If you work with us, we’re invested in your success.

At the end of the day, we all want to deliver a great outcome and it’s our joint responsibility to ensure this is achieved. We don’t stint our time, and you’re not buying a solution that is delivered by the hour—rather we provide access to our expertise, insights, experience, and know-how to help you succeed.

For a bespoke proposal and a tailored quote, please do get in touch.

Yes, we can work as sub-contractors within projects funded by organisations such as UKRI, Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, and other public and private funders (where the funding allows).

Whether supporting an individual firm or a consortium, we can either be written into your bid from the outset or, if your project has funding set aside for sub-contracting, be brought in later. In either case, we’re happy to shape and cost our role so it supports your objectives and is credible, deliverable-based activity within the scope of the funding. This initial scoping is free.

Within a funded project, we can play a key role in commercialisation, customer and market validation, stakeholder facilitation, innovation leadership, and more. In particular, we help bridge the gap between technically strong R&D and commercial strategy, go-to-market and longer-term scale. Together, we significantly strengthen your commercial and innovation capabilities, and accelerate the results you’re able to achieve.

To find out if we’d be a good fit, simply get in touch. If you’re a grant writer putting one or more bids together, we’d love to hear from you too.

Yes, we do. We believe you should not have to make an investment decision every time you engage with us, nor should anyone in your team have to debate whether or not to contact us because it might incur a fee. Therefore, while it is necessary for us to estimate the time involved in delivering a project, our work is typically charged at a fixed price that is determined by the objectives, deliverables, and the value it will deliver.

Start with a conversation

Initially, all you need to do is tell us about your technology, organisation, opportunities and challenges, and the headlines of what you’re looking to achieve. Even if this feels vague to start with, that’s ok—we can facilitate the conversation to create clarity. Simply schedule a free 30-90 minute virtual meeting with us to get the ball rolling. We’re also happy to have an informal telephone conversation beforehand if you’d just like to know more.

Involve wider stakeholders, share background information and context

Following this, we’ll meet again with you and anyone else in the team who has a vital stake in the work. We may also ask you to share background documents and data at this point, and are happy to provide an NDA to ensure confidentiality. This helps us to dig into the detail and makes sure that we’re designing a solution matched to your needs.

Receive your proposal and quote

Depending on the complexity of the project and assuming your objectives are clear, we may then be able to provide a proposal and quote.

For complex projects: a scoping workshop

For complex projects and/or situations in which multiple stakeholders have competing views, we sometimes suggest an initial challenge scoping workshop, which is charged at a standard fee. This provides you with a clear set of desired outcomes, ensures everyone is on the same page, and enables us to scope the work appropriately. Even if you decide not to proceed further at this point, we provide value by documenting your agreed priorities, challenges and objectives, thereby providing clarity in next steps for you and your team.

Still have questions…

We’re always here to help, whether you just want to find our more or have project-specific queries.

Schedule a call

Free Resource Download

Reduce uncertainty today with experimentation and prototyping

Firms developing complex technologies frequently face challenges for which there is no prior roadmap. Innovation inevitably involves high levels of uncertainty. Experimentation is vital when designing any new technology. Just to make progress in a world of complexity, you often have to make core assumptions.

Despite being familiar with prototyping the tech itself, clients are often surprised by how early in the process it’s actually possible to reduce uncertainty and validate your assumptions — well before your solution is ready.

Don’t wait until launch day to find out whether your proposition will work!

Download our short guide to experimentation and prototyping to discover 47 different ways you can prototype and learn today.

Download A Short Guide to Experimentation & Prototyping

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A Short Guide to Experimentation & Prototyping

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