Chris Murphy has launched Murphy & Company, a growth practice for venture-backed companies operating in deep tech and frontier technologies.
The Sydney-based practice has been built to help technically complex companies explain what they do to customers, investors, government, partners and talent.
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Murphy describes the challenge as the “commercial translation gap”. It refers to the distance between what technically sophisticated companies have built and what the market can readily understand.
He said that gap can slow growth by weakening fundraising narratives, making sales harder, confusing partners and shortening the runway for companies with strategic and commercial potential.
“Some of the most important technology being built in Australia right now is also the hardest to explain,” Murphy said.
“These companies have credible science, serious commercial potential and deeply capable teams, but their technical credibility isn’t always being communicated in a way less-technical investors and customers can readily understand.
“You can have the best technology or most innovative solution, but if the market can’t understand what you’ve built or why it matters, the technology will not scale the way it should. In sectors like deep tech, this can be a missed opportunity for everyone, not just a business problem.”
Atomic Tessellator joins as foundation client
Murphy & Company launches with Atomic Tessellator as its foundation client.
The Sydney-based deep tech company has built a computational platform that allows organisations to design, test and optimise advanced materials through simulation. The company said the platform can compress materials discovery from months to days.
Atomic Tessellator recently closed an $11.3 million seed round led by Crane Venture Partners.
The company has engaged Murphy to rebuild its commercial architecture. The work has moved the business from an inward-facing technical pitch toward a three-stage go-to-market model built for customers and investors.
Alain Richardt, founder of Atomic Tessellator, said Murphy & Company had helped translate the company’s technology into clearer market-facing materials.
“Murphy & Company has proven to be the missing link for our team as we look to scale our business,” Richardt said.
“Chris’ ability to understand our technology and potential and help translate that into easy to understand touchpoints like our website and investor and sales collateral has been invaluable.”
An embedded growth partner
Murphy & Company will operate as an embedded growth partner for founders and leadership teams.
The practice will work across positioning, go-to-market strategy, investor and customer narrative, and the commercial systems needed to fund, sell and scale complex technology.
Murphy will lead strategy and draw on a bench of specialists across brand design, paid media, web development and AI search.
He brings nearly two decades of experience across brand, creative and commercial strategy in the UK and Australia. His previous roles include Grey London, Saatchi and Saatchi London, The Hallway and G Squared.
Murphy has worked across clients including Google, Qantas, BINGE, Zip and Toyota.
“Australia has no shortage of companies building at the frontier,” Murphy said.
“But if those companies want to scale, attract capital, win trust and influence strategic markets, they need to become much better at translating technical advantage into commercial relevance. That’s the work Murphy & Company exists to do.”
Murphy & Company is now accepting new engagements across deep tech and frontier technologies.
Top image: Chris Murphy