The Challenge
A university spin-out developing post-quantum cryptography was preparing for its next investment round. Before committing further investment, the fund wanted independent evidence that the company's commercial strategy was focused on the right markets with the greatest opportunity for growth, and that the team had a comprehensive view of competitive positioning.
The chairman faced pressure from investors to demonstrate that the company was pursuing the right commercial strategy.
Several strategic questions remained unresolved. Commercial activity was concentrated in one sector that reflected the company’s existing experience and networks. Opportunities across other industries had not been systematically evaluated, and therefore might have been missed. The company believed its technical capabilities offered meaningful differentiation, but lacked independent validation from a broad range of potential customers. Increasing competition within the post-quantum security market added further uncertainty, making it difficult to distinguish genuine competitive threats from marketing claims.
The board recognised that these questions could not be answered through internal discussions alone. They needed an independent, evidence-based perspective from senior technology leaders and decision-makers across multiple industries to make a fully informed decision about the next phase of investment and commercial growth.
The Solution
Outsmart delivered an Insider Viewpoints study that assessed the spin-out’s commercial strategy and provided recommendations on next steps. The engagement combined structured market analysis, interviews with senior cybersecurity and technology leaders across multiple sectors, and analysis of the competitive landscape.
Our team began by evaluating every industry sector for potential, scoring them by the importance and urgency of post-quantum security, alignment with the spin-out’s technical strengths, and likely barriers to adoption. This created an objective shortlist of the most commercially attractive sectors.
Outsmart then assembled a bespoke team of specialists with expertise in post-quantum security from our global network, typically at CISO level, in the priority industries of automotive, banking, insurance, defence, utilities and software. Interviews explored the urgency of post-quantum adoption, migration strategies, priority use cases, preferred procurement models, key buying factors, willingness to adopt, perceptions of differentiation, and recommended go-to-market strategies within different market segments.
The Value and Impact
The study gave the board and investors independent evidence to support a high-stakes funding decision, increasing confidence that the business was pursuing a commercially credible strategy.
The research also reshaped the company's commercial positioning. Rather than leading with technical language around post-quantum cryptography, the spin-out repositioned its messaging around the immediate business benefits, including flexibility, lightweight deployment, and risk reduction. This shift informed investor presentations, commercial messaging and go-to-market planning.
