When a hardtech startup and a corporate partner come together to pilot a new technology, both sides hope for transformation—new capabilities, fresh revenue streams, real-world validation. Yet, too many pilots stall in “purgatory,” never scaling beyond a test site or producing the results everyone hoped for. mHUB has learned that the most successful pilots share a common ingredient: both the startup and the corporate come to the table ready and prepared —not just to experiment, but to execute, learn, and grow.
Here’s what it really takes for startups and corporates to collaborate on hardtech pilots that deliver—and how the mHUB pilot framework bridges the readiness gap.
For startups, a pilot is more than a proof point—it’s often the gateway to funding, scale, and product-market fit. For corporates, pilots are the lowest-risk way to innovate, test new solutions, and get buy-in for bigger deployments. But all too often, pilots fail to move past the demo stage because one or both parties aren’t clear about objectives, roles, or what success even looks like.
Pilot readiness is a shared responsibility, one that mHUB helps facilities and streamline to simplify complexities and risks and align both parties. To get real value from a pilot project, startups and corporates both need to be ready—operationally, strategically, and culturally.
Overcoming Common Pitfalls
mHUB has supported over 500 startups and manufacturers in the commercialization of hardtech solutions. When it comes to pilots, there are key pain points that can quickly derail a project or relationship:
This article will outline how startups and corporate can avoid these common pitfalls by keeping communication open, setting realistic expectations, and treating pilot readiness as a continuous, collaborative process.
Pilot readiness isn’t just a checklist—it’s a mindset and a process, built on a foundation of alignment, planning, and learning. At the same time, there are existing frameworks that help define when a technology is pilot ready. For example, Technology Readiness Levels, which help define the maturity of a technology from TRL-1 (basic principals are observed) to TRL-9 (actual systems are proven).
HardTech startups are typically pilot ready when they reach TLR stage 5 where they can work with a pilot partner to run experiments in a controlled or test-bed environment. The most impactful pilots come later in the TLR scale when a technology can be tested and integrated into a real-world system.
You can read more about technology readiness stages here, which vary slightly depending on the industry they’re being applied to:
Outside of technology readiness, there are other operational and strategic points that startups should consider before approaching or seeking pilot partners. In total, mHUB suggests startups are advanced in answering, and have the data to back up, the following questions:
Startups – how do you respond to the following questions?
While corporates don’t need to answer questions about technology readiness, they do need to understand the internal resources required and how they’ll answer the question, “was the pilot successful?”
Yes, pilot projects require time and commitment, but they can also be one of the most efficient and least risky ways for an organization to invest in and scale innovation quickly. In today’s landscape of rapid fire change and ceaseless advancement, organization’s simply can’t keep up unless they foster a culture of adaptability and innovation. So what questions do corporates need to ask themselves?
Corporates – are you confident in your answers to these questions?
Before a pilot ever kicks off, both parties need to invest in alignment. For startups, that means developing a pilot framework, refining the customer profile, clarifying what the pilot is meant to prove, and preparing all technical and business documentation. mHUB encourages startups to “productize” their pilot programs—treating the pilot as a packaged, value-added service, not just a free trial or demo. This approach helps avoid “pilot purgatory” and sets the stage for scaling.
For corporates, it means mapping out the use case, identifying who needs to be involved, and confirming the incentives (what’s in it for the business, the team, and the pilot sponsor). Organization like mHUB, that exist to commercialize technology in concert with startups and corporates, can be a great intermediary. mHUB speaks both languages, that of the entrepreneur and that of industry, and can translate unique needs and desired outcomes across parties, giving everyone confidence and a safety net.
Documentation that should be co-created:
Time needs to be spent up-front putting expectations to paper. Documentation and decisions might include:
How to define a mutually valuable pilot:
The best pilots are built on a foundation of joint value creation. That means:
Build operational discipline for execution:
A successful pilot needs strong planning on both sides. This means:
For a corporate, the importance of a pilot is not to demonstrate effectiveness of a new technology. At later technology readiness stages, startups should approach pilot partners carefully with the goal of industry actually adopting and scaling the solution.
In practice, pilots start with relationship building. Often a small initial test will be implemented to test the waters of the relationship. In reality, pilots aren’t one, grand experiment that deliver outcomes. They are a series of small tests that build upon and inform the pilot in real time. This can unfold over the course of a year or many years, depending on the industry and how regulated and operationally complex.
For hardtech pilots that happen onsite, you can expect regular site visits and scenarios that will require corporates lean on accounting, operations, and legal to unblock challenges and advance the pilot.
Don’t expect one major debrief. Successful pilots following something of a 30-60-90 plan, on whatever timescale is project appropriate, where the feedback loop is achieved, next steps are mapped, and pre-plans are confirmed or adjusted.
For the startup, throughout this process look for moments to capture testimonials. If you don’t end up scaling with the current pilot partner, you can at least secure industry validation to help future sales and investment efforts. For the corporate, anticipate regular communication from your startup partners. For them, this is one of the most important irons they have in the fire. Decide how you’ll meet them in that enthusiasm or constructively direct it.
Pilots vs. Market Ready Solutions:
Not every corporate is built—or incentivized—for deep experimentation. Some are seeking fast, frictionless solutions that can be integrated with minimal testing. For these organizations, the goal isn’t to co-develop technology but to find a startup offering a near-market or market-ready product that meets a clear business need. In these cases, pilot activities are limited, typically focused on integration and operational validation, with the ultimate goal being procurement and deployment.
In this scenario, the biggest challenges are appetite for risk, complicated vendor and procurement processes, and integration. Also – finding the right startups and technology in the first place.
In this capacity, corporates might also work with an organization like mHUB that can provide a pipeline of technology aligned to specific internal problems a company might be trying to solve. mHUB can incubate the technology and derisk the investment, connecting startups to industry at later stages.
Hardtech commercialization happens in the real world, not just the lab. Whether you’re a startup ready to prove your solution or a corporate looking for new answers, pilots are a bridge from possibility to progress. If you’re a startup or corporate on an innovation journey, mHUB can help.
Contact us to get started.