Be the First, Best, or Only
Why positioning is key to success in Hard Tech
In early-stage ventures, how one frames what they’re doing is as important as what the tech they’re actually building. In my experience, the companies most effective at this find positioning where they’re the first, the best, or the only.
When you’re first, you tap into a primal excitement around newness.
When you’re the best, you signal execution and reliability.
When you’re the only, you make yourself inevitable.
Every great company has a wedge that’s easy to understand and hard to forget.
You’re not “an AI platform for customer success.” You’re “the first AI co-pilot for reps who hate Salesforce.”
You’re not “a novel cooling technology.” You’re “the only system that slashes chip fab energy bills by 70 percent.”
Positioning gives your mission emotional weight. It gives investors something to believe in, customers something to talk about, and recruits something to rally around. Especially in Hard Tech, where the story can get technical fast, being “the first, best, or only” helps turn complex engineering into simple conviction.
Don’t just build something great. Position it so people care.
