What is deep-tech consulting?

Advice for companies built on hard science or engineering, such as hardware, biotech or AI, on how to fund, protect and commercialise the technology.

When should a deep-tech startup bring in an advisor?

Before the first institutional round or a major partnership, when decisions on IP, pricing and target market are still open.

Do you also work outside AgTech?

Yes. Biotech, robotics, climate tech, industrial AI and advanced materials are all covered.

What stage do you support?

Pre-seed through Series B. Earliest engagements often start before the first institutional round.

Do you provide hands-on operational help, or only strategy?

Both. Most engagements include embedded support: fundraising materials, hiring, board management, and direct investor introductions.

Do you have sector preferences?

Strong concentration in AgTech, robotics, biotech, climate-tech and industrial AI, but we work across the deep-tech stack.

Deep-Tech Advisory for Founders: Funding, IP, GTM

Deep-tech startup advisory and consulting by AixPoint

Dirk Vandenhirtz, founder of AixPoint and AgTech advisor based in Aachen

Deep-Tech Advisory

Deep-tech advisory is useful when the science works but investors, customers and partners cannot yet see the business. Dirk Vandenhirtz gives deep-tech founders hands-on consulting to turn patents, prototypes and pilots into a fundable company with a clear route to revenue.

Book a founder call Send a pitch brief

25+ years deep-tech operator · €120M+ raised for portfolio · 60+ patents · 4 exits

TL;DR

Deep-tech startup consulting helps hardware, biotech, robotics and AI founders navigate the gap between a working prototype and commercial traction. AixPoint delivers capital-efficient roadmaps, IP strategy and first-customer engineering, drawing on 60+ patents and 4 exits from companies including LemnaTec, Zasso and crop.zone.

Why deep-tech founders choose us

Capital-Efficient Roadmaps

Sequence R&D milestones to fundraising tranches so you never burn 18 months to hit a milestone investors don't price.

Investor-Ready Narratives

Translate a complex technology stack into a single page that institutional VCs and corporate strategists can underwrite.

Defensible IP Architecture

Build a patent portfolio that creates real freedom-to-operate moats, not paperwork that lawyers love and acquirers ignore.

First-Customer Engineering

Identify the design partner who pays you to validate the product, not the pilot that consumes a year of runway for free.

References with a documented role

LemnaTec

Founder & CEO

Grew a lab tool into the global market leader in digital plant phenotyping: 100+ research institutions as customers, 30+ patents filed, strategic exit.

CropZone / Zasso

Founder & CEO

Scaled electric weed control from concept to OEM partnerships: €25M+ venture capital raised, partnerships with John Deere, CNH Industrial and Nufarm.

tielsa

CEO

Led a premium hardware brand to an IoT platform: €20M+ investment secured, dual B2B and B2C market strategy.

See all reference projects

Our deep-tech advisory cadence

01DiagnoseDeep technical, IP and market diagnostic, three weeks, surfaces the real bottlenecks.
02Re-architectRebuild the fundraising story, GTM motion and operating plan around what actually moves valuation.
03ExecuteEmbedded with the founding team through the round, the launch and the first scale moves.

How we engage with deep-tech founders

Quarterly retainer + success fee on closed funding. Equity participation available for pre-seed and seed-stage teams. We only take on a small number of clients per year, if we engage, we engage deeply.

Specialised advisory services

Go deep on a single topic. Each service is a dedicated advisory track.

AgTech fundraising advisory

Investor narrative, deck, model, data room, warm intros, Seed to Series B.

Discuss your fundraising readiness

patent portfolio analysis

FTO, claim architecture, filing roadmap, licensing risk, investor DD readiness.

Audit my IP

go-to-market strategy

ICP, channels, pricing, design partners, first €1M ARR motion.

Plan your go-to-market

fractional CCO services

Embedded commercial leader: pipeline, ops, OEM/grower channels, board reporting.

Discuss your commercial bottleneck

Robotics Launch Europe programme

CE strategy, distributors, demo sites, EIC funding routes for hardware founders.

Plan your European launch

AgTech regulatory readiness advisory

Investor-grade regulatory framing for biologicals, crop inputs, precision ag and AI tools in regulated agricultural markets.

Discuss regulatory and investor readiness

From the portfolio

Vertical Farming

Néboda Farms

Precision Optics

ENANTIOS

Bio-Surfactants

PureSurf

Agri-Voltaics

AckerKapital

Pyrolysis Heat & Biochar

KuroVia

Coffee AI

Agrivero

Water Intelligence

WAI

Circular Mineral Processing

CarboSlag

See all portfolio companies →

Questions about deep-tech advisory

What is deep-tech consulting?: Advice for companies built on hard science or engineering, such as hardware, biotech or AI, on how to fund, protect and commercialise the technology.
When should a deep-tech startup bring in an advisor?: Before the first institutional round or a major partnership, when decisions on IP, pricing and target market are still open.
Do you also work outside AgTech?: Yes. Biotech, robotics, climate tech, industrial AI and advanced materials are all covered.
What stage do you support?: Pre-seed through Series B. Earliest engagements often start before the first institutional round.
Do you provide hands-on operational help, or only strategy?: Both. Most engagements include embedded support: fundraising materials, hiring, board management, and direct investor introductions.
Do you have sector preferences?: Strong concentration in AgTech, robotics, biotech, climate-tech and industrial AI, but we work across the deep-tech stack.

Talk to a deep-tech operator, not a generalist consultant.

Book a 30-minute founder call or send your deck. We respond within one business day.