Make 2026 Your Breakthrough Year

Hi!

Welcome to Sparksense's Newsletter! Every month, I personally bring you insights to fuel your sales strategies, drive business growth, and succeed on your entrepreneurial journey. My focus is clear: to equip you with actionable takeaways. Anticipate valuable advice on prospecting, smart selling, and sealing deals that matter for Deep Tech Entrepreneurs!

This month, we wrap up an incredible year of growth — at the speed of light.

2025 brought both uncertainty and “China Speed”, yet we’re inspired by how Deep Tech VC investment evolved and how the market adapted with agility. We connected with leading tech players across Sweden, France, Germany, and the UK.

Our clients proved that sustained growth is possible — powered by our expanding global team of Business Development Advisors.

Now, as we spark the journey into 2026, let’s dive into mindset, celebrate client breakthroughs, explore the next wave of Deep Tech investment, and look ahead to what’s coming next.

Breakthroughs are born from crisis

Remember that from iRobot’s robotics in the ’90s recession to Microsoft amid the ’70s oil crisis, deep tech stars like ARM, Isilon, and HP are each born in time of crisis.

Did you also face significant market challenges in 2025? Many founders did. And while no one controls the external shocks, one mindset stayed relevant:

We worked this through with our clients to adapt fast, doubling down on what we can control.

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Deep tech investment is on the rise

Deep tech snatched one-third of Europe’s VC cash in 2025.

McKinsey calls it our biggest boom yet, with investors flooding AI / compute, robotics, and energy. Sparksense engaged at Deep Tech hotspots like Sweden (65% funding magic), France’s unicorn factory, UK’s incentive playground, and Munich’s UnternehmerTUM crowned #1 by FT.

These Deep Tech gems hit $1B valuations two years faster, pack 9x more patents for bulletproof defence, and could unlock $1T value + 1M jobs by 2030 if we keep the momentum.

5 Takeaways for Entrepreneurs

1. Sales Engine First: Hire or outsource BD talent immediately—run weekly pilots to convert 20% more leads into revenue by mid-year.

2. Ride Your Wave: stay agile to navigate swiftly — test sales strategies quarterly, prioritise controllable, focused sales verticals over market noise.

3. Double Down on IP: Accelerate patent filings today for better defensibility and funding edge tomorrow.

4. Hunt Hubs Ruthlessly: Relocate or partner in top clusters this Q1—tap Sweden’s debt markets, France’s late-stage pools, UK’s scale-up grants.

5. Sector-Pick Winners: play at the intersection of AI/compute + physical world — run prototype-to-market fit in 6 months via research-industrial hybrids.

When your Client wins, you win! 

We are excited to see our clients set major milestones this year across robotics, quantum, photonics, engineering, and AI-driven design. Here are some highlights:

• Thoro.ai won the Pittsburgh Tech50 Award 2025 for successful real-world projects.

• Siemens completed a $5.1 Bn acquisition of Dotmatics including our client Dotmatics MStar, to push CAE simulation into Biotech and Pharma.

• Synera is recognized by Frost & Sullivan’s Transformational Innovation Leadership Report for its push toward true engineering intelligence.

• PhotonFirst deploys a fiber-optic Weigh-in-Motion system in Amsterdam.

• FaradaIC Sensors won the Chip Venture Forum run by EIC (Energy Industries Council).

• Pi Imaging Technology was acquired by ZEISS Group, and Qblox partnered with Fermilab under the U.S. Department of Energy.

Watch how Entrepreneurs bring solutions to market such as Advanced sensors, IoT, Photonics, Additive manufacturing, Engineering simulation, Energy and renewables. Reach out to talk about your 2026 commercial ambitions and how we can help.

Invest in Sales Talent to win in the Market

Sparksense welcomed new colleagues across three continents, including North America to drive Deep Tech Startup growth worldwide. A sharp selection of Engineers joined our Sales Challenge, to practice real-life tech business development while connecting them with entrepreneurs across Europe, the USA, and Israel. 

We met in Munich to learn, bond, engage with new talent and have fun.

• Visit Dassault Systèmes to explore digital simulation, AI, and advanced engineering tools.

• Meet our client Eugen Riegel, founder & CEO of Numeric Systems GmbH

• City run, a Munich discovery challenge, and team dinners.

• Celebrate Sparksense’s 8th anniversary.

As one of our Advisors shared: “Sparksense is built on a great team: amazing people who are always ready to support you and with whom you can also have fun.”

Check out our video recap of the event in our LinkedIn post.

Sparksense is where engineering talent drives deep tech sales. Join our Sales Community now to drive deep tech growth together! Check out our open positions.

Engage with decision makers in key markets

Our mission through this year? To deepen our knowledge of these industries, connect our clients’ solutions with key decision makers, and drive continuous growth.

Our team met industry leaders across the most relevant Deep Tech events in Europe. We showed up where semiconductor, photonics, sensors, and robotics set the pace for innovation. We engaged with EPIC across Europe. We took part in GITEX Europe, and met our client Atland3D there, Semicon Europa / Productronica, PIC Summit Europe, HTGF in Berlin, Quantum Effects, Swiss Robotics Day, where our founder Hervé Flutto led a business development workshop, and several other events and Investor Days. 

We met our clients across Europe : Zero Point Motion next-gen IMU in Bristol, LabArchives Electronic Notebook in London, and PhotonFirst in Alkmaar with unique photonics systems for demanding applications. We also met FaradaIC Sensors at Semicon Europa and explored new opportunities in advanced sensing.

A big thank-you to our partners and the event organisers for making 2025 a year of connecting with people!

Our Top reads to boost your sales strategy!

Join over 1,200 Entrepreneurs, who read our Newsletter each month. The Right Event for Your Startup edition was the most popular in 2025. Make sure you don't miss it!

1. 5 Highly effective modern sales methods 

2. Bootstrap your tech startup to success 

3. Business development tips for startups 

4. Which events are right for startups today? 

Also, download our comprehensive Business Development Guide ebook. Start today to access your free Sparksense’s Startup Guide for actionable advice, practical tools and insights from sales professionals. 

Let’s shape what’s next together in 2026

We are the right sales partner for Entrepreneurs focused on “light speed” high-value solutions across Semiconductors, Photonics, Biotech and Engineering. Deep tech founders will win with us despite uncertainty, geopolitical tension, and rising competition.

2026 will be a year of opportunities for bold Entrepreneurs, and we’re ready to support your sales success in Europe and North America!

Follow Sparksense LinkedIn for insights from industry events we attend!

Want to know more about Sparksense? Let’s talk to find out how we can help take your sales to the next level. Book a call with me today!

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions please feel free to email me directly.

Ride your Wave!

Hervé Flutto,

Managing Director & Founder of Sparksense

About Sparksense

With 200 global clients supported over the last 8 years, Sparksense is the trusted Sales Team for B2B Tech Startups. With a smarter outreach, Sparksense’s team of over 30+ advisors has ignited sales for hardware and software solutions across Europe, North America and Asia – thanks to its robust, proven business development skills and relevant market access to decision makers across key industries.

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