A Practitioner Framework for Deep Tech Commercialisation
Date of Declaration
18 April 2026
SSRN Reference
SSRN · April 2026
Document Version
1.0 — Final
Author and Rights Holder
Rajesh SHARMA
CEO, Telsun · Paris, France · raj@telsunventures.com · linkedin.com/in/raj0306
IIT Kanpur 1994 · MBA AIM + Melbourne Business School · Sciences Po Paris · LBS + Wharton PE/VC
29-year career · Deep tech investor · 2 successful exits · INSEAD Corporate Entrepreneurship panel 10+ years
I, Rajesh SHARMA, hereby declare that the Innovation Friction (IF) framework — including its governing equation, its five original structural components, and all associated instruments — is an original intellectual work created by me, drawing on 29 years of practitioner experience in deep tech commercialisation across Europe and India. This declaration establishes authorship, creation date, and the five original contributions that constitute the framework's intellectual substance.
A physics-inspired formulation expressing commercial adoption probability as a function of a numerator (technology and execution quality) divided by four structural friction variables. The four-component denominator — μ_human (human resistance), N_legacy (legacy normal force), τ_cycle (temporal friction), and C_capital (capital friction) — is original to this framework and has not appeared in prior literature in this formulation.
C2
The Five Failure Layers
A sequential diagnostic model identifying five distinct layers at which deep tech commercialisation fails: Problem (42% of failures), Access, Trust, Process, and Adoption. The framework establishes that these layers must be eliminated in sequence — a higher layer cannot be resolved while a lower layer remains active — and that each layer has a distinct reduction mechanism.
Extends and operationalises Innovation Resistance Theory (Ram 1987) into the B2B deep tech context
C3
The Commercial Readiness Level (CRL) Scale
A nine-level commercial maturity scale calibrated specifically for deep tech ventures, with CRL 5 (first real revenue — an invoice issued and paid) identified as the critical threshold above which capital access, customer trust, and investor confidence shift discontinuously. The IF-specific CRL calibration, its alignment with the Five Failure Layers, and its integration into the governing equation are original contributions.
Adapts existing CRL concepts (Lamont 2024; RCNDE/BINDT; Paukkeri et al. 2021) to deep tech B2B with original calibration
C4
The Three Paths Taxonomy
A vehicle selection framework distinguishing three commercialisation paths — Path A (License/Partner/Publish), Path B (Startup), and Path C (Corporate Venture/Spin-out) — and providing a structured decision methodology for selecting the path that minimises Innovation Friction for a given technology, market, and founder profile. The IF equation variables drive the path selection criteria.
C5
The Signal-Friction Matrix
A two-axis strategic tool mapping customer segments by market signal value against Innovation Friction level, generating four quadrants (Tar Pit, Trophy Hunt, Training Ground, Beach Head) to guide Year 1 customer prioritisation. The Beach Head quadrant — low friction, high signal — is identified as the mandatory Year 1 target for ventures seeking to build the reference chain that enables access to Trophy customers.
Scope and Relationship to Prior Work
This framework builds on and explicitly acknowledges three bodies of prior work: Innovation Resistance Theory (Ram 1987; Ram & Sheth 1989), which established the consumer-facing foundations of adoption friction; Nordgren & Schonthal's The Human Element (Wiley, 2021), which articulated four friction types in general innovation contexts; and existing CRL scales (Lamont, RCNDE/BINDT, Paukkeri et al.) developed for technology readiness assessment. The IF framework's original contribution is the synthesis of these threads into a unified, equation-based practitioner framework calibrated specifically for deep tech B2B commercialisation, with the four-component denominator and the Five Failure Layers as the primary original structural elements.