Dr. Richard Caro leads all of TangibleFuture’s projects. Depending on the scope of the project, and the specific industry expertise it calls for, we may put together a small team drawn from our resource network of deeply experienced industry veterans.
Richard G. Caro
Dr. Richard G. Caro has over 30 years of experience at the intersection of technology and business — as startup CEO; startup CTO; scientist/inventor; angel investor; and advisor to emerging growth companies in fields such as agetech; medical devices / healthcare; digital health; telecom; & photonics.
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TangibleFuture
We love helping people turn their visions of the future into reality.
Especially if the ideas involve innovative science and technology!
Inventing the "next big thing"?
Building a new venture?
Developing a novel product?
Our goal: Increase your chance of success.
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Why People Come to Us for Help
Over the years, we have found entrepreneurs and business leaders often come to us for one of the following reasons:
Advice: they need big picture advice about how best to turn their startup or concept into a successful business — while maximizing speed, and minimizing the amount of consumed capital. Sometimes they just need to be pointed in the right direction. Sometimes they need ongoing advice from someone with deep industry knowledge, or someone who is good at helping avoid the common errors made by other entrepreneurs who have gone before them.
Missing Expertise: The leaders know they need to do something (eg customer development) — but lack the internal skill sets to do it alone in an expeditious manner.
Bandwidth: They have the skill sets for a needed activity (eg market analysis, or competitive analysis), but lack bandwidth.
Advice: they need big picture advice about how best to turn their startup or concept into a successful business — while maximizing speed, and minimizing the amount of consumed capital. Sometimes they just need to be pointed in the right direction. Sometimes they need ongoing advice from someone with deep industry knowledge, or someone who is good at helping avoid the common errors made by other entrepreneurs who have gone before them.
Missing Expertise: The leaders know they need to do something (eg customer development) — but lack the internal skill sets to do it alone in an expeditious manner.
Bandwidth: They have the skill sets for a needed activity (eg market analysis, or competitive analysis), but lack bandwidth.
What We Do
Our approach involves an unusual blend of analysis, strategic advice, and hands-on intervention.
We give advice. If you need us to, we can help implement it. Sometimes we even take on functional roles for a time, if the management team needs augmenting.
We give advice. If you need us to, we can help implement it. Sometimes we even take on functional roles for a time, if the management team needs augmenting.
What Qualifies Us to Help?
We've been there; we've helped others get there; we've learned from mistakes (ours and theirs); and we've lots to share about what has and has not worked.
Most importantly, we like to roll up our sleeves and make things happen, rather than give you advice and walk away.
Most importantly, we like to roll up our sleeves and make things happen, rather than give you advice and walk away.
Deep Tech Is Different:
Since we started TangibleFuture back in 2004, the world of startups has changed enormously — both because there is now a LOT of advice and help you can find, and because there is now a whole methodology (Lean Methodology, pioneered by Steve Blank and others) that helps people think about the steps involved in turning a business idea into a successful business.We are huge fans of the Lean Methodology, and use it all the time. However the Lean Methodology was originally developed for IT startups, and the basic assumption is that with enough time and money you CAN build whatever you wish. So, the emphasis is on reducing Market Risk, and finding Product-Market fit.
But when you are doing a new venture that involves complex science or invention, there is also the concept of Science Risk. Science Risk involves the fact that when novel science needs to be invented or discovered, sometimes you end up finding that the thing you wanted to create is just not possible — at least not at present.
As the Lean Methodology got extended to include healthcare startups, this concept of Science Risk began to be incorporated into how organizations like the NIH approach coaching new ventures. But a lot of advisors, and books and articles about startups, continue to neglect the dimension of Science Risk in our opinion.
With the renewed interest in "Deep Tech" starting in 2023, we think correctly handling Science Risk — in parallel with the Market Risk that gets tackled with customer development — is going to be more and more critical.
This concept of two axes — relating to Market Risk and Technical / Science Risk — has featured prominently in Dr. Caro's talks and articles since we first started TangibleFuture in 2004. You can learn how to access talks and articles relevant to this topic, and to the approach we favor of Balanced Execution, by clicking on the button below.
Learn More: "Science to Profits"
Tools & Resources for Innovators and Entrepreneurs
Over the years we have developed a variety of tools, lectures and articles designed to help entrepreneurs and managers create and grow their companies; and innovators turn their ideas into profits.
You can access much of this material in the Resources section of this website.