Roughly 90 p.c of hard tech startups fail as a consequence of funding constraints, longer R&D timelines for growing {hardware}, and the complexity of producing their merchandise, based on numerous research.
Usually, these startups require as much as 50 p.c extra investor financing than software program ones, based on a Medium article. Usually, they want not less than US $30 million, based on a Lucid article. That’s double the funding wanted by software program firms on common.
To assist them join with buyers, IEEE Entrepreneurship in 2024 launched its Hard Tech Venture Summits. The 2-day occasions join founders with potential buyers and different entrepreneurs. Attendees embody producers, design engineers, and intellectual property attorneys.
“Despite the fact that there are a number of startup investor conferences, it’s onerous to seek out these centered on onerous tech,” says Joanne Wong, who helped provoke this system and is now the chair. She is a basic associate at Redds Capital, a California-based venture capital agency that invests in international early-stage IT startups.
The IEEE member can also be an entrepreneur. She based SciosHub in 2020. The corporate’s software-as-a-service and informatics platform automates the data-management course of for biomedical analysis labs.
“Many buyers are centered on AI software program—which is sweet,” she says. “However for onerous tech firms, it’s nonetheless onerous to seek out help.”
The summit additionally features a workshop to assist founders navigate manufacturing processes and regulatory compliance. The occasion is open to IEEE members and others.
IEEE is a pure match for this system, Wong says, as a result of onerous tech is synonymous with electrical engineering.
“Among the domains we’re overlaying are robotics, semiconductors, and aerospace technology. IEEE has societies for all these fields,” she says. “Due to that, there are lots of assets throughout the organizations for startups, whether or not it’s mentors or guides on methods to commercialize merchandise.”
There are a number of enterprise summits deliberate for this 12 months. Two are scheduled in collaboration with the IEEE Systems Council: this month in Menlo Park, Calif., and in October in Toronto.
On 10 and 11 June, a 3rd summit is scheduled to happen in Boston on the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society’s International Microwave Symposium.
Extra occasions are being deliberate for subsequent 12 months in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America.
Networking and a pitch competitors
Every summit consists of keynote audio system, adopted by networking roundtables. Every desk consists of individuals from three to 5 startups, one or two buyers, and a service supplier.
That association helps founders construct relationships, which is the summit organizers’ precedence, Wong says. Traders at previous occasions have included i3 Ventures, Monozukuri Ventures, and TSV Capital.
“The reference to the neighborhood was unbelievable, particularly buyers and founders in robotics.” —Mark Boysen, founding father of Naware
Startups current their pitch, which numerous buyers consider earlier than rating the marketing strategy and product. The highest 10 startups pitch their enterprise to all of the buyers.
On the second day, the startup founders take part in a half-day engineering design–to–manufacturing workshop, at which manufacturing engineers train them methods to navigate the method and meet rules.
In an exhibition space, members can see demonstrations from the startups and join with service suppliers.
The 2025 occasion’s half-day engineering design–to–manufacturing workshop was led by Liz Taylor, president of DOER Marine. The corporate manufactures marine tools.Larissa Abi Nakhle/IEEE
Optimistic suggestions from attendees
In a survey of previous summit attendees, startup founders mentioned the occasion linked them not solely with buyers but additionally with different entrepreneurs having related struggles.
“The reference to the neighborhood was unbelievable, particularly buyers and founders in robotics,” mentioned Mark Boysen, who based Naware. The corporate, primarily based in Edina, Minn., developed a robotic that makes use of AI to detect and take away weeds from golf programs, parks, and lawns.
“I cherished getting the buyers’ views and understanding what they’re in search of,” Boysen mentioned.
Jeffrey Cook, who attended a summit in 2024, mentioned he met “a number of nice contacts and noticed what the onerous tech enterprise local weather is like.”
Attendees of the Exhausting Tech Enterprise Summit spend the primary day networking and presenting their pitch to buyers. IEEE Entrepreneurship
“These locally would profit from coming to the summit,” mentioned Cook dinner, who based Gigantor Technologies in Melbourne Seaside, Fla. It develops {hardware} methods for AI-powered gadgets.
Greater than 90 p.c of attendees on the 2025 occasion in San Francisco mentioned they might extremely advocate the summit to others, based on a survey.
Traders and repair suppliers even have discovered the occasions profitable.
Ji Ke, a associate and the chief know-how officer of deep tech VC agency SOSV, attended the 2025 summit.
“I met a number of younger entrepreneurs tackling some large challenges,” he mentioned. “This is without doubt one of the finest occasions to satisfy some very-early-stage firms.”
Making vital connections in onerous tech
Startup founders who need to attend a summit should apply. Applications for this year’s events are open. Contributors have to be founders of preseed, seed, or Collection A startups.
Preseed founders are searching for small investments to get their companies off the bottom. These within the seed stage have already secured funding from their first investor. Collection A startups have obtained funding and are growing their product.
Candidates are reviewed by a committee of buyers to make sure the startups can be a very good match. Those that are authorised are matched with buyers and repair suppliers primarily based on their specialty.
“The journey for a tough tech startup could be very lengthy and arduous,” Wong says. “Founders want to satisfy as many buyers as doable and different individuals who help onerous tech methods in order that they’re in a position to attain out to them for recommendation or assist.”
These thinking about studying extra about an upcoming occasion can ship a request to entrepreneurship@ieee.org.
From Your Web site Articles
Associated Articles Across the Net
