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ScaleUpReady™ Framework
A Decision-Driven Techno-Economic Analysis System for Early-Stage Scale-Up

Biotech, food-tech, precision fermentation, biomaterials, and sustainable manufacturing startups operate in a very different reality than large industrial corporations.

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They do not have:

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  • Dedicated in-house process engineering departments

  • Unlimited R&D budgets

  • Years of pilot data before investment decisions

  • Access to multi-million-euro feasibility studies

 

And yet, they must make industrial decisions early.

 

Decisions about:

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  • Target production scale

  • Technology selection

  • Processing pathways

  • Facility configuration

  • Capital requirements (CAPEX)

  • Cost structure assumptions (OPEX, unit economics)

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These decisions often happen before Series A — sometimes even before a pilot trial is run.

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This is where ScaleUpReady™ was born.

Why Traditional Techno-Economic Analysis Fails Early-Stage Startups

In large corporations, techno-economic analysis (TEA) is typically performed:

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  • After extensive pilot campaigns

  • With large experimental datasets

  • Using detailed simulation software

  • Supported by full engineering teams

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Startups operate differently.

 

They:

 

  • Have limited data

  • Are capital constrained

  • Must prepare for fundraising

  • Need directional, decision-ready answers — not 12-month studies

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But waiting too long to run a TEA creates another risk:

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By the time the economics are tested, key technical decisions are already locked in.

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  • Pilot technologies are selected

  • Equipment suppliers are engaged

  • Production scale assumptions are embedded into pitch decks

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At that point, changing direction becomes expensive and disruptive.

What Is the ScaleUpReady™ Framework?

ScaleUpReady™ is a staged, decision-driven approach to techno-economic analysis designed specifically for early-stage biotech and food-tech startups.

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It recognizes that:

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  • Data evolves over time

  • Capital availability changes by funding stage

  • Model detail must match the decision being made

  • Over-modeling early is wasteful

  • Under-modeling early is dangerous

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The framework enables founders to:

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  • Run order-of-magnitude TEAs before pilot trials

  • Stress-test process assumptions early

  • Evaluate alternative technologies before pilot lock-in

  • Identify economic bottlenecks before scale-up commitments

  • Align TEA depth with fundraising stage

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Instead of asking:

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“Are we ready for a full TEA?”

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ScaleUpReady™ asks: “What level of techno-economic clarity do we need right now?”

Designed for Limited Data — Not Unlimited Budgets

With more than 20 years of experience in industrial scale-up and techno-economic analysis, I have seen the same pattern repeatedly:

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Startups either:

 

Avoid TEA because they believe they lack sufficient data

 

Or

 

Run TEA too late, after technical pathways are fixed.

 

ScaleUpReady™ bridges that gap.

 

It provides:

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  • Structured assumptions methodology

  • Transparent uncertainty handling

  • Early-stage economies-of-scale modeling

  • Stage-appropriate modeling depth

  • Decision-focused outputs

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Not academic modeling.
Not oversized feasibility studies.
Not generic spreadsheet templates.

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But structured clarity at the right time.

What Makes ScaleUpReady™ Different?

It is not just “how we do TEA.”

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It is a readiness-based techno-economic system integrating:

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  • Decision timing

  • Industrial scale logic

  • Technology evaluation

  • Capital planning

  • Risk mapping

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It connects technical development with fundraising strategy.

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Because for startups, economics is not just about cost.

 

It is about capital efficiency, sequencing, and survival.

Who ScaleUpReady™ Is For

  • Biotech and precision fermentation startups

  • Alternative protein companies

  • Biomaterials and sustainable chemistry innovators

  • Food-tech scale-up teams

  • Founders preparing for Seed or Series A

  • Teams making pilot or first commercial scale decisions

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It is especially valuable when:

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  • You have a partially developed process

  • You are pre-pilot or early pilot stage

  • You are selecting between processing technologies

  • You are defining first commercial production scale

  • You need defensible techno-economic logic for investors

The Outcome: Becoming Truly ScaleUpReady™

ScaleUpReady™ ensures:

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  • Industrial assumptions are tested early

  • Technology choices are stress-tested before lock-in

  • Capital planning aligns with realistic scale pathways

  • Surprises are discovered early

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It transforms techno-economic analysis from a late-stage validation tool into an early-stage strategic instrument.

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  • This is how teams become truly ready to scale.

  • This is what it means to be ScaleUpReady™.

🚀 Explore Further

→ The ScaleUpReady™ Framework
Understand decision-driven framework designed for early-stage biotech and food-tech scale-up.

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→ The 5 Stages of a Techno-Economic Analysis
See how we translate laboratory processes into structured industrial and financial models.

 

→ TEA Readiness Call
Determine whether now is the right time to run a TEA — and what level of clarity your project needs.

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