Senior commercial conversion at a cleantech water purification firm
A senior commercial and business development hire at a deeptech cleantech SME commercializing water purification technology in regional markets, supported by structured CCP training cover for the conversion period.
Industry context
The client operated as a deeptech cleantech SME with proprietary water purification technology being deployed across regional markets, including donor-funded and public-sector procurement channels. Up to this point the founding team had carried the commercial motion themselves; the next phase of growth required a senior commercial leader capable of scaling outside founder-led sales, with an understanding of both the technology stack and the institutional procurement pathways unique to the cleantech space.
What changed and why CCP applied
The right candidate was converting from an adjacent industry with strong commercial fundamentals but no specific exposure to the firm's proprietary technology, the deployment economics of regional cleantech, or the donor and public-sector procurement processes that drive much of the buying behaviour in this market. Structured uplift was needed across all three areas before the candidate could lead the commercial motion independently.
Our strategy
We positioned the role using the funding track best suited to a sustainability-tech SME, scoping the OJT plan to cover both the technical stack and the donor and public-sector procurement pathways unique to the cleantech space. This dual focus mattered: a generic commercial OJT plan would have missed the institutional-buying side of the role, which is where the most differentiated knowledge sits in this sector.
OJT activities included
- Drafting an OJT plan covering technology fundamentals, deployment economics across regional markets, and institutional sales context (donor channels, public-sector procurement, MDB-funded programmes).
- Producing the Service Agreement, eligibility submission, and trainee documentation aligned to the relevant programme partner's requirements.
- Coordinating contract finalisation between client, candidate, and programme partner to keep the conversion timeline on track.
Outcome
- Role covered
- Senior commercial / business development hire
- Approach
- New-hire conversion under sustainability-tech-aligned funding track
- Status
- Engagement progressed to funding-agreement stage
- Strategic value
- Client onboarded the senior commercial hire with funded training cover, materially de-risking the first major leadership hire outside the founding team
First senior hires outside a founding team are particularly risky in deeptech: the hire has to absorb both the technology and the unique buying motion before they can deliver. CCP cover for the conversion period reduces the cash burden during the ramp window, which is when the underlying capability transfer actually happens.