Why Hard-Tech Breakthroughs Can Fail To Reach Commercial Scale
Innovations in hard-tech fields often struggle to transition from prototype to commercial scale due to various barriers. These include insufficient operational infrastructure, delayed go-to-market planning, and prototypes not designed for mass manufacturing. Furthermore, the gap between lab success and market readiness, funding fatigue between development stages, and failure to prove repeatable economics can stall progress. Finally, outdated regulations and the difficulty of securing a first commercial customer also present significant challenges. AI