Creating a Market for Disruptive Tech: Lessons from the Diagnostic Biochips Journey

When you're building something truly new, your biggest challenge isn’t competition—it’s proving a market even exists. In a recent podcast episode, Brian Jamieson (CEO, Diagnostic Biochips) and go-to-market expert Chris Morrison break down what it takes to sell disruptive technology like SomaFocus.

Chris describes the “innovation death spiral”: a startup gets one early customer, builds a strategy around that win, and burns through resources when it doesn’t scale. One customer isn’t validation—it’s an outlier.

Instead, Diagnostic Biochips took a discovery-based approach. After testing assumptions about big pharma, they found stronger traction with translational researchers—those bridging lab discoveries and real-world therapies. These users had immediate, funded problems their technology could solve today.

The episode outlines a repeatable framework for deep tech sales:

- Find your real market entry point
- Develop messaging that resonates
- Build a process that turns interest into adoption

Brian sums it up well: building market fit takes urgency and patience. You can compress the timeline—but not skip the steps.

Listen to the full episode for practical insights from the front lines of innovation.