Crossing the Asymptote: Turning Commercial Interest into Signed Deals
A hands-on workshop for tough tech founders on telling real traction from polite interest, and creating the urgency to close commercial deals.
_______
You got a meeting. Maybe you even got a pilot conversation. Then the deal stalled. The next step keeps slipping a quarter, then a year, and nobody on the other side seems worried about it.
Your startup runs on a ticking clock: limited runway and investors watching. Your commercial counterpart doesn’t share that clock. If a pilot slips a year, nobody there loses their job over it.
In this workshop, Stephen Galowitz, former Chief Commercial Officer at Sublime Systems and Origin Materials, shares the frameworks he’s used to move industrial majors from interest to signature.
What we’ll cover
Part 1: Is this real traction? (20 min)
A fast, blunt framework for telling real traction from interest. We’ll cover LOIs vs. MOUs vs. pilots vs. paid contracts, and what investors actually want to see at each stage. Before you push harder on a deal, make sure it’s one worth pushing.
Part 2: Crossing the Asymptote (50 min)
Stephen’s core framework for building urgency and leverage once a deal has stalled:
The three BD archetypes. Starters open doors, middle relievers keep momentum going, and closers get to signature. You’ll learn which one your team is missing.
The “whale” trap. Founders without a pipeline often over-index on a single big account. The leverage move usually isn’t pushing harder on that one conversation. It’s creating a competing option, so the corporate feels real urgency instead of unlimited time.
Specific techniques for converting stuck interest into signed terms.
Part 3: Open floor (20 min)
Stephen will bring some scenarios, or founders can bring their own to workshop.
Who should attend
Seed and Series A founders selling into large corporates or industrial partners, especially technical founders and first-time CEOs without a dedicated commercial lead. CTOs, CSOs, and technical team members are encouraged to come too.
About the facilitator
Stephen Galowitz brings extensive expertise in commercializing cutting-edge technologies, with a focus on climate and industrial ventures. He is Founder & Principal of Conatus Advisory LLC, serves on the Board of Directors at Graphyte (carbon storage), and is on the Board of Advisors at Dioxycle (CO₂ conversion technology).
Previously, he was Chief Commercial Officer and a Board Member at Origin Materials (renewable chemicals and materials) and held the same roles at Sublime Systems, where he helped secure $70M in funding from cement industry majors. Stephen began his career as an attorney before moving into energy and industrial leadership roles, including Chief Development Officer at Broadrock Renewables and Managing Director at Ridgewood Renewable Power. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and dual B.A./B.S. degrees in Philosophy and Finance from the University of Pennsylvania.