Commercialisation & Innovation Strategy
Turning deep-tech and innovation opportunities into commercial outcomes.
Strategy, fractional leadership and fundraising support for Deep Tech startup founders, SMEs, universities and innovation programs — with results measured in revenue secured, grants won, capital raised and products launched.
over 8 years
enabled since 2023
by IGP clients
across 85+ engagements
Sydney, Australia
Services
What I can do for you.
Practical, hands-on support to move a venture, product or program from technical promise to commercial traction — each service backed by results it has already delivered.
Strategy & business model validation
Define and validate the business model, commercial strategy and innovation priorities for a new venture or the next stage of growth.
One client pivoted its US export plans on my advice, validating customers and securing a $5M grant.
Market & growth strategy
Pressure-test target markets, pricing, sales and production — know what to prioritise and when to change course before committing capital.
Process advice from one engagement lifted a medical device manufacturer's capacity 5X.
Fractional commercial leadership
Engage customers, close early deals and build evidence of traction as a contract commercial lead — without the cost of a full-time executive.
Grew an internal software venture to $2M/year with customers including Disney and Adobe.
Grants & funding strategy
Identify the right grant and investment pathways, shape a fundable story, and run or support the application and raise.
~50% grant success rate — $14M secured, enabling $31M in innovation projects.
Industry & research partnerships
Broker collaborations between companies, universities and government — from a first pilot to a multi-partner consortium.
Built a 15+ partner consortium securing $20M+ in collaborative research funding.
Founding team & coaching
Define the capabilities a founding team needs, help find co-founders or early hires, and coach the team once in place.
Coaching Antler cohort founders over 3 years, including the fund's first MedTech and Quantum investments.
Ways of working
Project engagements
Fractional / contract roles
Advisory & board positions
Workshops & speaking
What clients say
Feedback from the field.
We all walked away from your session feeling really positive and confident in the advice you provided. You raised some valuable points and gave us clear direction to help maintain momentum.
— Construction Materials
I genuinely think your involvement as an adviser was a step above anything we've experienced previously. It was practical, thoughtful and very useful.
— Advanced Manufacturing
Your support made a significant difference. The business canvas and your full advisory report provided a vital strategic foundation that continues to inform our company's positioning.
— Pharmaceuticals / Therapeutics
The advice we got from Daniel really changed our business, including increasing manufacturing capacity by 5X from process advice.
— Medical Device Manufacturer
Outcomes
Results clients can point to.
Client stories
How those results happened.
Medical devices
5X manufacturing capacity, no new factory
A medical device manufacturer needed to scale. Process-level advice on production flow unlocked a fivefold increase in manufacturing capacity — in the client's words, advice that "really changed our business."
Entering New Markets
An export pivot & ~$5M funding
Working through market entry options, one client rethought its US export approach based on my advice. They then went on to secure approximately $5M of grant funding off the back of the revised strategy.
Advanced manufacturing
AI vision for zero-defect card printing
For a major credit card manufacturer, I identified and established computer vision and AI to detect and control printing errors, evaluated 3D printing as a new service line, and ran innovation strategy workshops with leadership.
Deep-tech commercialisation
From university lab to global diagnostics
Commercialised a novel UNSW algorithm platform for processing flow cytometry data used in blood-based HIV and cancer detection — securing interest and integration pathways with international equipment and software providers.
Venture building
An internal venture grown to $2M a year
Built and led an internal software venture (Kakadu) with full P&L accountability — hiring and managing the team and growing international sales to $2M/year across 200+ licensees, including Disney, Adobe and Geoeye.
Research partnerships
A $20M consortium built partner by partner
Assembled and managed a consortium of 15+ industry partners investing in collaborative solar research — securing more than $20M in funding and connecting a world-leading research portfolio to industry.
Translating Science to Success — Sydney IGP networking breakfast, with MTP Connect & BioNSW
About
The experience behind the outcomes.
I'm Daniel Gronowski, a Sydney-based commercialisation and innovation strategist. For 20 years I've worked at the intersection of research, industry, capital and government. I have been a founding advisor to the Australian Government's $392M Industry Growth Program, a national technology faciltator for Deloitte working on the federal Entrepreneurs' Programme, a deep-tech commercialisation lead at UNSW, a startup co-founder, and a venture partner and investment committee member in the early-stage ecosystem.
That mix means I've sat on every side of the table my clients face; the founder pitching, the investor deciding, the university licensing, the government program assessing and supporting. It's why my advice tends to be practical, direct and immediately useable by leaders to deliver immediate results.
Speaking & mentoring
- SXSW Sydney — mentor, 2024
- MTP Connect × BioNSW — IGP breakfast speaker, 2026
- Hunter Defence Conference — speaker, 2024
- AGSM @ UNSW — MBA guest lecturer
- Techstars Sydney — mentor
- UTS × Investment NSW — Futuremap workshops
Who I work with
- Founders & startupsFrom inception through validation, fundraising and first customers
- SMEs & manufacturersTechnology adoption, new products and innovation-led growth
- Universities & researchCommercialising research and building industry partnerships
- Government & programsProgram design, advisory delivery and grant assessment
Executive MBA (AGSM) · BSc Nanotechnology & Innovation (UTS) · Uniseed investment committee · Antler Venture Partner · Baseline Australian Security Clearance
Insights
Latest thinking, on LinkedIn
I write about deep-tech commercialisation, government innovation programs and venture building. Follow along for posts, articles and updates.
Daniel Gronowski
Posts and articles on commercialisation, innovation policy and deep-tech venture building.
Get in touch
Let's talk about your next commercial challenge.
Whether it's a consulting engagement, an advisory or board seat, a speaking opportunity, or just a conversation — I'd like to hear from you.
Currently taking on consulting projects, advisory and board conversations, and speaking opportunities.