Tech

How Deep Tech is Solving Mankind's Grandest Challenges

Deep tech represents innovation driven by science, not just software. Learn how deep tech can change the world through new startups and solutions.
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5
Min Read
August 24, 2023

You've likely heard buzzwords like "deep tech" and "deep-tech" being thrown around recently, usually in the context of startups and big emerging technology trends. But what exactly does deep tech mean?

Deep tech refers to technology that is driven by breakthroughs in science. It involves substantial scientific research, specialized knowledge, and technical expertise that allow for the development of truly innovative solutions. Deep tech startups often tackle complex, large-scale computing, and robotics challenges by applying AI, materials science, biotech, and quantum breakthroughs.

While many technology companies focus on software and internet-based solutions, deep tech startups are built around hardware, life sciences, or other physical innovations. Their products usually represent major shifts in how things work - introducing entirely new paradigms instead of minor iterative improvements.

Deep tech startups have longer development cycles and require more capital than traditional software companies. They often spin out of academic research labs after years of work by scientists and engineers.  

Some well-known examples of deep tech would include companies like SpaceX (space rockets), Moderna (mRNA vaccines), Arrive Robotics (autonomous farming), Anthropic (AI safety), and Carbon (3D printing materials).

Deep tech promises to usher in the next generation of technological breakthroughs by pushing the boundaries of what's possible through radical scientific and engineering innovation. The opportunities for creating positive impacts on society are immense if we successfully commercialize emerging deep-tech developments.

What Is Deep Tech?  

Deep tech startups like yours are tackling some of the world's most difficult and urgent problems. You're leveraging breakthroughs in science and technology to drive innovation that will truly change life as we know it.  

Through your work developing and commercializing impactful deep tech solutions, you have the potential to:

- Help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change by developing new sustainable technologies.

- Transform healthcare and improve lives through advances in biotech, drug discovery, and medical devices.    

- Create new sources of nutritious, sustainable food through agricultural and food science innovations.

- Advance humanity's knowledge through new discoveries enabled by breakthroughs like quantum computing and space exploration.

Deep tech challenges are complex and large-scale. They require substantial R&D, specialized expertise, and technology that pushes the boundaries of what's currently possible.

But by addressing these grand challenges, you have the chance to make a difference that traditional tech companies could only dream of. Your work has the potential to literally save lives, reshape industries, and move humanity forward in positive ways.

As a deep tech founder or leader, you are part of a vanguard of innovators solving mankind's grandest challenges through scientific and technological progress.

Deep Tech Startups: You're Building The Future of Technology

Deep tech startups represent the future of technological innovation. While many tech companies focus on software and internet services, you're creating breakthrough products and services based on new scientific discoveries.

Traditional tech startups tweak and improve existing technology, but you're pushing the boundaries of what's possible through pure scientific and engineering innovation.

As a deep tech founder:

• You're commercializing new discoveries in fields like AI, biotech, and materials science that enable fundamental changes in how things work.

• You have a long vision for how your technology will reshape an industry or create an entirely new one.  

• You're developing hardware, life sciences, or other physical products, not just apps and websites.  

• You face greater challenges in scaling due to the technical complexity of your innovation and the specialized expertise required.

What Is Deep Tech Startup?

Your deep tech startup exemplifies an emerging model of a technology company that will define the 21st century:

• Driven by scientific progress, not just software    

• Creating physical innovations, not virtual ones

• Tackling large, real-world problems that truly need innovative solutions

• Spawning entire new industries to solve grand challenges

You're applying the latest scientific breakthroughs to solve issues established technologies cannot. You're reimagining what's possible through radical innovation.

You're building the future of technology, pushing forward the very frontiers of science and engineering to create a better world.

Deep Tech Startups Examples: the Next Wave of Deep Tech Disruptors

Deep tech startups are remaking industries through transformative innovations in fields like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and materials science.

This new generation of companies is pushing the boundaries of what's possible by applying cutting-edge science and technologies to real-world problems.

Consider deep tech startups example companies like:    

• Moderna - Leveraging mRNA technology to develop vaccines at record speed

• Arrive Robotics - Pioneering AI and automation for agriculture through autonomous robotics

• Anthropic - Applying AI safety research to develop ethical and transparent AI systems

• Carbon - Developing new digital manufacturing techniques using computer-guided 3D printing

• Relativity Space - 3D printing entire rockets to enable lower-cost, reusable launch systems

Deep tech disruptors like these:

• Are commercializing technologies that could enable fundamental changes in how industries operate  

• Represent paradigm shifts, not just incremental improvements to existing solutions

• Target large-scale real-world challenges that cannot be solved through traditional internet and software technologies alone

• Are transforming healthcare, transportation, agriculture, and many other sectors through physical innovations, not just digital ones

Deep tech startup examples show the world what's possible when scientific breakthroughs and technological progress intersect with entrepreneurship. They're tackling grand challenges that software alone cannot solve through innovations ranging from genetic engineering to 3D metal printing.

The next wave of disruptive companies will come from deep tech founders pushing the frontiers of science and technology to solve major problems and create new industries.

You're Tackling Challenges That Will Define Our Generation

As a deep tech startup founder, you're taking on some of the most complex and urgent issues facing humanity today.

Big challenges like:

• Climate change and the need for sustainable technologies    

• Growing demands on global food systems  

• The looming crises in healthcare due to population growth and aging    

• The limits of existing modes of transportation and infrastructure

These grand challenges will define our generation. As a deep tech innovator, you’ll make real progress toward solving them.

By developing breakthrough solutions in fields like:

• Renewable energy and carbon capture    

• Agricultural biotechnology and vertical farming  

• Gene editing, drug discovery and medical devices

• Electric and autonomous vehicles            

• Advanced materials      

You're tackling issues that cannot be resolved through software alone or incremental improvements to current technologies. You're creating the paradigm-shifting innovations needed to make real headway against:

• Climate change through more sustainable energy sources and production methods      

• Food insecurity by transforming agriculture and making more efficient use of land and resources

• Healthcare burdens through early detection, prevention strategies, and more personalized treatments        

• Congestion and unsafe transportation through electrification, automation, and smart infrastructure  

You have the potential to make meaningful contributions toward solving the challenges that will define the 21st century. Your work could lay the groundwork for better outcomes on issues that impact all of humanity.

You're tackling problems at a scale that only transformative deep tech innovators achieve. And in doing so, you're striving to make our world more sustainable, healthy, productive, and livable for future generations.

You're Pioneering The Solutions Of The Future  

With your deep tech startup, you're on the cutting edge of developing the innovations that will tackle humanity's biggest challenges in the decades ahead.

While traditional software and internet technologies play an important role, truly transformative solutions will come from deep tech companies like yours that are:  

• Commercializing cutting-edge scientific discoveries        

• Developing new hardware, devices, and physical systems          

• Advancing the frontiers of what's technologically possible            

By pushing the boundaries of science and technology, you're pioneering the solutions of the future in fields like:  

For climate change and sustainability:

• Renewable energy systems based on advanced materials and nanotechnologies      

• Carbon capture technologies that make a meaningful dent in global emissions

For healthcare:

• AI applications that improve drug discovery, diagnostics and care delivery    

• Healthcare devices and tools that leverage advanced materials and precision engineering

For food systems:

• Agricultural robotics and automation solutions based on AI and IoT      

• Lab-grown and alternative proteins that reduce environmental impacts  

• Vertical farming technologies that make more efficient use of land and resources

You're developing the transformational solutions that will allow us to make real progress against our greatest challenges. While traditional technologies play a supporting role, the breakthroughs needed to make an irreversible impact will come from your work:

• Combining advanced research with entrepreneurship      

• Commercializing innovations at the frontiers of science and engineering

• Applying deep tech solutions to problems at scale

As a deep tech founder, you have a vision for the future that extends well beyond today's limits. You see possibilities where others don't. And you're creating the solutions that may one day define how we live sustainably, healthily, and productively for generations to come.

You're Paving The Way For A New Era Of Innovation

You're at the forefront of an emerging wave of innovation that will profoundly shape our future.

By commercializing breakthroughs in fields like AI, biotechnology, and robotics, and applying those advancements to solve big real-world problems, you're paving the way for a new era defined by deep tech solutions.

Your work models how to harness scientific and technological progress to create positive outcomes at scale. You're demonstrating that:

• Major challenges are opportunities for innovation, not reasons for inaction    

• Academic research and scientific discovery have meaningful applications beyond the lab

• Entrepreneurship plays a critical role in bringing deep tech innovations to society    

• There remain many opportunities for technological progress to improve lives and transform industries

By pushing past existing limits and paradigms, you're showing the world that true innovation often emerges at the intersection of multiple domains. Your deep tech solution may be based on:

• An unconventional combination of technologies    

• Insights from diverse fields of research  

• Expertise that spans science and business

As a deep tech startup, you're redefining what technology companies will accomplish. You're proving that technological progress does not need to come at the cost of sustainability, ethics, or broad social good.      

And you're creating a model that will inspire future generations of innovators to ask: what else is possible if we apply the latest scientific breakthroughs to the most challenging real-world problems?

Antoine Gourévitch of Boston Consulting Group stated in SiliconRepublic:

Most significant advances will likely result from the convergence of multiple technologies that eliminate a barrier or resolve a longstanding trade-off. Underlying technologies are more accessible, available in more formats and growing quickly. Along with increased accessibility,  business incubation and acceleration infrastructure are being built, which allows for quick experimentation.

By pioneering deep tech solutions today, you're laying the foundation for a future defined by innovation that improves life for all of humanity while operating within ethical and sustainable bounds. You're showing the world what progress looks like for the digital age.

You're not just developing breakthrough products or technologies through your work—you're paving the way for a new era of deep tech innovation with profound societal impact.

You're Forging The Future - And We're Here To Support You

As a deep tech founder, you have a visionary mission: to forge the future through groundbreaking innovation that solves big problems and improves lives.

It's an inspiring and incredibly important goal but also an immense challenge. Developing deep tech effectively requires navigating complex scientific, technological, and business solutions.

That's why at Wayra.de, we exist to support innovators like you every step of the way. We aim to catalyze and champion the next generation of deep-tech companies that will improve industries and society.

We offer deep tech founders:  

• Expert guidance from our network of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs            

• Business development support to commercialize your technology          

• Access to collaborative workspaces and prototyping labs      

Funding and investment capital to develop your solutions  

• Opportunities to connect with potential investors, customers, and partners

Our goal is simple: to help make your vision a reality. We want to support you so you focus your energy on what matters most—creating breakthrough products and services that solve meaningful problems.

As a deep tech innovator, you're forging the future by pushing the boundaries of science and technology. But you don't have to do it alone.

At Wayra.de, we understand the promise and potential of deep tech. We help ambitious founders like you overcome obstacles, scale your solutions, and maximize your positive impact on the world.

So as you continue blazing your trail, know we're here for you. Our team is ready to provide the support, guidance, and resources you need to succeed—so you are able to keep pursuing your visionary mission of forging a better future through deep tech innovation.

We want to see you succeed in solving the world's biggest challenges.

Let us know how we can help you on your journey. Together, we’ll create the deep tech revolution the world needs.

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Written by
Franziska Kraft
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Written by
Franziska Kraft

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