Deep-Tech Founders Need Procurement-Market Fit

Why is building a great deep-tech product only half the battle?In this episode, I explore one of my biggest takeaways from my conversation with Adriaan Rol from OrangeQS. OrangeQS is building test solutions for quantum chips, but the challenge is not only technical. When a product costs millions, the company also has to solve a different problem: how customers actually buy.This episode is for investors, founders, and anyone interested in deep-tech commercialization. Adriaan shares an honest lesson from OrangeQS’s journey: they underestimated not the physics or engineering, but the complexity of corporate decision-making, CapEx budgets, procurement processes, and internal risk.A strong technical story is not enough. A great product is not enough. At some point, deep-tech companies need to make the buying decision easier. That means understanding the customer’s internal process, creating the right milestones, reducing risk step by step, and turning technical interest into a purchase order.The lesson is bigger than quantum. In deep tech, product-market fit is only part of the equation. Companies also need procurement-market fit.💡 In this episode, we cover:Why deep-tech companies need more than product-market fitWhy expensive hardware requires a different sales approachHow OrangeQS learned to navigate CapEx decisions and procurementWhy technical validation does not automatically lead to purchasesHow partnership programs can reduce customer riskWhy customers need a buying process they can defend internallyHow deep-tech founders can turn interest into purchase ordersWhy adoption is often as difficult as the technology itselfChapters00:00 Why deep tech needs procurement-market fit08:34 Why million-euro hardware changes the buying process17:32 Building a partnership program to reduce risk22:19 The hidden challenge of CapEx decisions40:29 Why procurement can make or break adoptionShare this episode with someone building or investing in deep tech, and subscribe or follow Beyond the Qubit for more conversations on quantum technology, markets, and investing.📌 Disclaimer:This is not investment advice.This post is shared on a personal basis and I do not represent any company.