1.0
Unlocking deep-tech founders to
build durable companies
The most capable deep-tech and hardware founders are exceptional at exactly one thing: solving the hard technical problem. We believe that skill is rarely what determines whether the company survives its first three years.
What actually kills capable technical teams is everything that surrounds the technology — a fundraising narrative that undersells the breakthrough, a go-to-market motion built on guesswork instead of a system, non-dilutive capital left on the table because no one had time to write the proposal. This isn't a talent gap. It's a role that doesn't exist yet inside most early-stage deep-tech companies.
SternOps is that role, brought in fractionally. We run point on the parts of the business that aren't the technology — non-dilutive capital, go-to-market strategy, fundraising narrative, and the operating systems a company needs before it can justify hiring a full-time operator. We work embedded inside the company, not as outside consultants delivering a deck.
We start narrow and build trust fast: SBIR and STTR grant writing, the quickest non-dilutive capital a technical founder can access. From there, the engagement expands into the broader operating work that turns strong technology into a durable company.
2.0
We work fractionally with pre-seed and seed hardware and deep-tech founders who are exceptional at the technical problem and need an operator, not another advisor. Engagements start narrow and concrete — scoping and writing SBIR/STTR proposals — and expand from there into go-to-market strategy, fundraising narrative and process, and the operating systems and reporting cadence a company needs to run without a full-time COO. We work embedded inside your company on a fractional basis, not as an outside advisory retainer.
3.0
We bring a direct operating track record to every engagement, not just advisory experience. At Closure Software, we bootstrapped a vertical SaaS company serving the funeral industry to $8M in annual recurring revenue and a $48M acquisition by a private equity firm, without raising outside capital. At Duke University, as Lecturing Fellow and Startup Portfolio Manager, we've advised more than 100 student and alumni-founded companies, helping generate over $2M in sales pipeline and $680K in confirmed revenue for the founders we work with.
4.0
For inquiries, reach us here.