When (and how) should DeepTech startups invest in marketing?

If you’re building a DeepTech startup, you might be wondering:

“Isn’t it too early for marketing when our tech isn’t commercial yet?”
“Will talking publicly expose us to competitors, or regulatory scrutiny?”
“How do we even explain what we’re doing to people outside the lab?”
“Shouldn’t we stay stealth until we have a product to sell?”

“How much should we spend on marketing, and on what?”

These are questions we hear often from DeepTech founders. And they’re worthwhile questions to ask - because marketing for DeepTech is different in many ways to other startups. 

It’s not just about selling a product. In fact, many DeepTechs don’t have a product to sell yet and won’t for many years. It’s about building trust, credibility and relationships that could shape your company’s future, even years before you launch commercially.

Whether you’re still in R&D, or gearing up to commercialise in the next 6-12 months, this article is your guide to knowing when to start marketing, what to focus on and how to avoid costly missteps along the way.

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How do we define “DeepTech”?

DeepTech describes startups built on scientific discoveries or advanced engineering innovations - think quantum computing, biotech, robotics, advanced materials or AI hardware. Unlike many software startups, DeepTech ventures typically involve:

• Long R&D timelines
• High capital requirements
• Complex technologies that are hard to explain, and
• Regulatory or manufacturing hurdles

Despite these challenges, DeepTech companies have transformative potential for industries and society. That’s why we love working with DeepTech companies - it’s not just about sales, it’s about building trust, explaining complex ideas and paving the way for future commercial success.

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Why DeepTech startups should think about marketing (even before commercialisation)

Many founders believe marketing starts once you have a product to sell, but this is a common misconception that can be quite detrimental to a DeepTech startup's long-term success. Even during R&D, marketing can help you:

• Secure funding - Investors often back teams they believe can tell a compelling story, not just a technical one. Remember: most investors aren’t going to be deep technical experts in your field, yet they need to understand your tech and its potential well enough to back-it.
• Attract talent - Top scientists, engineers, and commercial leaders want to join missions they believe in, which first requires hearing about it and then understanding it.
• Build credibility - Industry partners, regulators and future customers need to trust and understand that your innovation is not just aspirational but has real-world applicability and impact.
• Shape the narrative - If you stay silent, your competitors or the media might define your category for you.

Of course, there’s nuance. Some DeepTechs stay in stealth mode for good reason (e.g. protecting IP or avoiding premature regulatory scrutiny). 

The key question is: What strategic opportunities might you miss by waiting too long?

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How marketing changes from pre- to post-commercialisation

The role of marketing to support a DeepTech startup’s goals shifts dramatically as you move from R&D into the market.

For example:

Pre-commercialisation goals

• Establish technical credibility - focusing on your team’s expertise and providing evidence of the scientific feasibility of your technology through academic research or early trial results
• Educate and build relationships with non-experts about your science, such as investors, partners, and regulators, to garner their support
• Create early awareness among top talent (essential for attracting high quality talent for niche technical roles)
• Attract interest from potential first customers for pilot programs and trials

Approaching & post-commercialisation goals

• Start developing customer-focused messaging that’s anchored in specific industry use-cases
• Build marketing assets for sales teams - empowering them as non-technical spokespeople to speak to the product’s value proposition with confidence
• Define differentiation vs. emerging competitors by demonstrating that you’re no longer a technology in development, but readily available for purchase or implementation
• Create early case studies or proof points that demonstrate credibility
• Prepare for trade shows, media interest and lead generation

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For example, Andromeda - an Australian humanoid companion robot company - came to Stella Startups as they were preparing to commercialise. Their messaging had focused heavily on technology and vision during R&D. But as they approached launch, they needed to speak directly to aged care decision-makers about how their robot, Abi, delivered measurable value and fitted into the care environment. That shift in narrative was crucial to generating commercial interest and landing early sales.

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Are you ready to start sharing your story publicly?

Before going public, ask yourself:

• Is our technology robust enough to stand up to scrutiny?
• Are there (real) IP risks in revealing details right now?
• Can we explain our technology in simple, non-technical language?
• Do we have credible proof points (e.g. pilots, publications, endorsements)?

Sharing your story prematurely can:

• Create hype you can’t sustain or leverage
• Reveal trade secrets to competitors
• Invite regulatory scrutiny before you’re ready

On the flip side, staying silent too long can mean:

• Investors overlook you because they’ve never heard of you
• Competitors define your category and claim thought leadership
• Media misrepresents your technology because you’re not controlling the narrative
• You inevitably find yourself on the back-foot with brand awareness and credibility when it comes to garnering the support from key stakeholders, slowing your journey to commercialisation

When Cortical Labs, which creates biological computing chips using human neurons, prepared to launch its first commercially available product, Stella Startups helped them prepare essential marketing foundations and materials. We developed a compelling brand narrative and clear messaging for different target audiences before helping develop a website and all the essentials for a successful launch at a major expo in Spain, from business cards to booth designs and product flyers.

Critical milestones marketing can help amplify

DeepTech startups often have milestones that are powerful marketing moments, even if you’re not ready to sell. For example:

• Funding rounds or grants
• Successful pilots or trials
• Academic publications in top journals
• Regulatory progress or certifications
• Strategic partnerships
• Winning competitions or awards
• Speaking at prestigious conferences

Each of these signals credibility and momentum, which are key factors for attracting further investment, partners and talent.

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Which specific marketing activities make sense for early stage DeepTechs?

Here’s a shortlist of practical marketing activities that deliver value before and during commercialisation:

• Positioning and messaging strategies - Clarify your “why” and translate complex tech into clear benefits.
• Investor pitch deck development - Ensure investors understand your science, market potential, and traction.
• Professional compelling website - Even a simple (yet professionally made) website builds credibility. Investors, partners and media will check it.
• Thought leadership content - Publish articles, blog posts or LinkedIn posts that demonstrate expertise and shape industry conversations.
• Conference participation - Speak on panels or present research to gain visibility and credibility.
• Media relations - Target industry or scientific outlets where relevant audiences pay attention.
• Collateral development (sales one-pagers, explainer visuals) - These become critical as you approach market entry.

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Aquila, an Australian DeepTech wirelessly charging drones from a distance so they can ‘fly forever’, engaged Stella Startups to help develop their brand narrative which formed the foundation for a refreshed website and raise announcement press release that explained the highly technical science behind the Lightway product in a way that was compelling to partners and potential future customers, not just scientists.

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What resources should a DeepTech startup invest in early stage marketing?

Do invest in

• Defining your positioning and messaging
• Visual storytelling to explain complex technology
• A professional, well-written website
• High-quality investor and partner pitch materials
• Relationships with key media or industry groups

Don’t invest in (yet)

• Large-scale paid advertising
• Aggressive lead generation before you’re market-ready
• Overly expensive brand videos without a clear purpose
• Heavy social media activity without strategic targets
• Broad PR campaigns expecting consumer-level headlines if you have no proof points

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“Stella Startups helped us unlock our messaging and positioning, which led to a much clearer structure, particularly useful when we were building our pre-seed deck. Stella are brilliant at cutting through a founder’s ‘700 must-haves’ to help crystallise a clear, simple message.” 

Paloma Newton, CEO & Co-founder of Elita, Australia’s first stem cell bank for pets

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Risks of not investing early enough in marketing

Waiting too long to build your marketing foundations can create real consequences for a DeepTech startup. Here are a few reasons why:

• You risk staying invisible to investors and partners. Even groundbreaking technology is hard to support if stakeholders have never heard of you or don’t understand what you’re building.
• Competitors might define your category first. In emerging fields, whoever tells the story often shapes market perceptions and even influences regulators or funding priorities.
• It becomes difficult to attract top talent organically. Skilled scientists, engineers, and commercial leaders want to join teams with a clear mission and visible momentum.
• Delaying marketing can lead to an expensive scramble later. When it’s time to raise funds or launch commercially, you may find you urgently need new messaging, a website refresh, or media credibility, all under pressure.
• Staying silent leaves room for miscommunication. Journalists or industry insiders might try to explain your field for you, and get it wrong, creating narratives that are hard to correct.

All reasons why even early-stage DeepTech startups should think strategically about marketing, so they’re ready when it matters most.

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What kind of marketing support makes sense?

For many DeepTech founders, one of the hardest questions is who should actually handle marketing in the early stages. It’s not uncommon for founders to realise that marketing simply isn’t something they can, or should, try to solve entirely on their own.

Often, they lack direct experience in marketing or communications. Even if they’re brilliant scientists or engineers, they’re often too close to the technical details of their product to explain it in clear, simple terms to a non-technical audience. And perhaps most importantly, marketing isn’t where a founder’s time is best spent when the technical development of their product demands the majority of their focus.

So the question becomes: should you hire someone in-house, or bring in external help? The challenge is that marketing for DeepTech is both highly strategic and deeply technical, and no single person or agency typically covers it all.

A fractional CMO or strategic advisor can be invaluable for shaping your narrative, clarifying your market positioning, and helping you avoid costly mistakes. But while they’re brilliant at high-level strategy, they often don’t produce day-to-day content or manage tactical execution across the vast areas of marketing that a DeepTech startup might need.

Freelance content creators or science communicators are fantastic for translating complex technology into clear, engaging stories that resonate with investors, partners, and the media. However, freelancers often need explicit guidance on your overarching strategy and messaging to ensure everything stays consistent - which usually takes considerable time from the founding team to do well.

Specialist designers are essential for creating visuals that bring your technology to life, whether it’s pitch decks, product renders, explainer graphics, or websites. Yet while they can make your materials look great, they’re not necessarily the ones who’ll decide what your story should be in the first place, or what the strategy is to distribute that content to your target audience.

PR consultants with DeepTech experience can help you land coverage in the right trade or industry outlets and manage media relationships. But without strong messaging and foundational materials, even the best PR efforts can fall flat and either lead to unsatisfying campaign results or a lot of hype that you're not set up to harness.

And while an in-house hire becomes a smart move as you approach commercialisation and need ongoing marketing muscle, hiring someone too soon can stretch your budget and saddle them with strategic decisions they may not yet be equipped to make.

Each of these solutions has strengths and gaps. That’s why Stella Startups exists: to give DeepTech founders access to both strategic guidance and practical, hands-on support, tailored specifically to the unique challenges of marketing science-based businesses.

When Andromeda was preparing to launch Abi commercially, they engaged Stella Startups as an outsourced marketing team rather than hiring full-time. This allowed them to quickly build marketing foundations, including positioning, messaging, website, conference materials and more, without taking budget away from R&D or committing to permanent salaries.

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Key takeaways

If you’re a DeepTech founder, here’s the bottom line:

• Marketing isn’t optional for DeepTech, it’s essential for building credibility, attracting investment and preparing for commercial success.
• Start early, but strategically. Don’t waste money on hype or mass marketing if you’re not ready.
• The shift from pre-commercialisation to market launch requires a significant change in how you tell your story. Plan for it well before you’re 12 weeks out from launch.
• The best DeepTech founders think of marketing as part of building their company’s moat, just like they think about building the most unique elements of their technology.

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Ready to assess whether your DeepTech startup should start marketing? Get in touch for a no-obligation chat about your stage and goals.