A New Resource to Start Your Entrepreneurial Journey
In December 2024, The Engine and Activate formed a strategic alliance united by a shared conviction: Tough Tech companies hold the key to solving some of the most complex and urgent challenges of our time. From human health and food systems to manufacturing and climate, breakthrough science and engineering have the potential to shape a more resilient, prosperous, and sustainable future.
Together, our goal is to empower innovators with the skills, networks, and resources to build this future we know is possible. Through our respective programs, including Blueprint by The Engine™, Residency at The Engine, and the Activate Fellowship, we can draw on our years of combined experience and data of supporting Tough Tech founders.
We know firsthand the path from lab to impact isn’t always clear. After supporting hundreds of technologists who dream of translating their discoveries into real-world solutions, we've identified a gap in the entrepreneurial journey: technically brilliant researchers are ready to build impact with their technology — but lack the orientation, tools, and mindsets to confidently take the first step of launching a company.
The data provides proof of the support researchers need. In a recent survey we gave to 113 technologists enrolled in the Fall 2024 Blueprint cohort, we found that the majority had little if any exposure to entrepreneurship. 59% had never taken an entrepreneurship course at a university, 67% had not participated in any entrepreneurship programs, and 74% had never attended any Tough Tech-specific programming. To effectively tackle the greatest challenges facing our society, we believe the basic principles of Tough Tech entrepreneurship should be more accessible for the technologists building the solutions we need for a better future.
To address this gap, today we’re proud to introduce Tough Tech Fundamentals, a new resource library built for technologist entrepreneurs and those curious about becoming one. This shared initiative is designed to illuminate the path to Tough Tech entrepreneurship, helping technologists better understand what it takes to build a successful company grounded in transformative science and engineering.
A Comprehensive Introduction for the Tough Tech Curious
Tough Tech Fundamentals provides practical insights, frameworks, and other helpful tools that prepare the Tough Tech-curious for the entrepreneurial journey. These resources cover the nine critical competencies that founders will need to master across The Engine’s Tough Tech Learning Model, which includes leadership, team building, protecting intellectual property, effective communication, engagement with the public sector, and more.
The critical competencies and mindsets required to effectively launch a Tough Tech startup:
| The Engine Learning Concepts | Activate Science Entrepreneur Mindsets |
|---|---|
| Board | Create Value |
| Business | Decisiecness |
| Communication | Fail Fast |
| Government | Healthy Performers |
| Intellectual Property | Know Thyself |
| Leadership | Skeptical Optimism |
| Networking | Sum > Parts |
| Product Development | |
| Team |
Beyond these critical skills, we believe being a successful technical founder requires a shift in mindset. To this end, Tough Tech Fundamentals also introduces Activate’s Science Entrepreneur Mindsets to help researchers step confidently into the role of founder. These include learning to navigate ambiguity, staying grounded in purpose, engaging the world beyond the lab, and leading through change.
At its core, this collaboration is about unlocking potential for scientists to move confidently from “what if” to “what’s next” by giving them the tools and mindsets to start building real-world impact. The opportunity and the urgency has never been greater.
If you’re curious about the founder journey in Tough Tech — or you know someone who might be — visit Tough Tech Fundamentals to learn more.
Explore Tough Tech Fundamentals
A curated collection introducing the core skills and mindsets essential to launching or joining a Tough Tech startup. Visit the site to start clarifying if this journey is right for you, and access actionable resources designed for scientists and engineers ready to make real-world impact.
Tough Tech Fundamentals