🤖 #42: Vivian's Deeptech Insider: Stop leading with features (do this instead)

Hello and welcome to the #42 edition of the fortnightly Vivian's Deeptech Insider.

Most experts are invisible because they lead with complexity.

I see it constantly with the technical founders I advise: brilliant scientists with groundbreaking innovations who can't get anyone non technical to understand what they're selling.

They lead with their methodology. Their proprietary process. Their PhD-level frameworks.

And their ideal customers nod along politely, then think: "This sounds important... but I'm not sure if I need this yet."

There's a copywriting formula that fixes this instantly: "Now you can..."

Let me show you why it works—and how to use it.

What the "Now you can" formula actually is

Inside Capital Catalyst, we spend a bit of time on Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) methodology—understanding what progress your customers are actually hiring your solution to achieve. It's foundational to positioning technical innovation in customer terms.

There's a copywriting formula that's a brilliant complement to JTBD work, that I’ll be including to founders who need their messaging to land faster. It's called "Now you can," and growth strategist Nopadon Wongpakdee champions it in customer-centered marketing.

It's a transformation statement that does three things:

1. Shifts from features to customer outcomes

Instead of talking about what your product/service is, you articulate what your customer can now do because of it.

2. Connects to real progress in the customer's life

It speaks to what they were unable to do before, and how your solution eliminates that gap.

3. Reduces anxiety or friction

By focusing on capability ("now you can achieve X"), it reassures the reader that the solution addresses their desire or problem directly.

Here's how it works in practice:

Instead of: "Our tool has multi-channel analytics and integration"
Write: "Now you can make confident growth decisions without juggling spreadsheets."

Instead of: "We offer automated onboarding workflows"
Write: "Now you can onboard new users in minutes—not hours."

Instead of: "10-week strategic residency program with proprietary frameworks"
Write: "Now you can get board-level strategic thinking while you're still early-stage."

See the difference? One describes what you built. The other describes what becomes possible.

Why this formula is so powerful (the psychology)

The "Now you can" framework works because it:

✅ Frames your product as a bridge between where the customer is now and where they want to be

✅ Hints at relief or transformation instead of merely listing attributes

✅ Positions belief and confidence ("Now you can...") rather than speculation or possibility ("You might be able to...")

✅ Aligns with how customers actually think about solutions—not in terms of features, but in terms of jobs to be done

This is straight from Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) methodology which I go in depth about in the Capital Catalyst and value proposition design. Customers don't hire products for their features. They hire them for the progress those products enable.

A real example: How I applied this to my own positioning

For many, strategic board advisory was something you could only access two ways:

1. Pay $$$ for a board advisor retainer (if you're already well-funded)

2. Give away equity to get experienced advisors on your cap table (risky when you don't know what you don't know yet)

Both options assume you're already far enough along to afford them. But the decisions that shape your exit? Those happen years before you can afford board-level help.

The feature-focused version (what I started off with): "I offer a 10-week strategic residency using proprietary frameworks including the Exit Canvas and 4Ps methodology."

The outcome-focused version (using "Now you can"): "Now you can get board-level strategic thinking while you're still early—before those critical decisions become expensive to reverse."

Or: "Now you can pressure-test your equity structure, partnership strategy, and exit positioning with someone who's sat in the boardroom—for a fraction of what a board retainer costs."

Same offering. Completely different entry point.

The mistake most experts make (and why this matters for you)

Here's what I see happen with technical founders and experts who've built deep IP:

You lead with your methodology instead of the outcome it creates.

You talk about your frameworks, your process, your proprietary approach—the things that make you proud because you built them. But your customers don't care about your frameworks until they understand the outcome.

They need to know:

• What can I now do that I couldn't do before?

• What progress does this enable in my life or business?

• What anxiety or limitation does this eliminate?

Your complexity is your competitive advantage. But simplicity is your sales strategy and your marketing communications.

Your job isn't to make people understand your methodology upfront. Your job is to make them think: "I need that capability."

The methodology? That's what makes you irreplaceable once they're inside.

Try this exercise:

Take your current value proposition and rewrite it using "Now you can..."

Before: [What your product/service is]
After: "Now you can..." [What your customer can do/achieve/avoid because of it]

Notice what changes. Notice what feels clearer. Notice what you might be overexplaining.

When you nail this shift, everything changes. Your pitch deck becomes clearer. Investor conversations get easier. Partnership discussions move faster. Because you're finally speaking in outcomes, not features.

Until then,

Vivian

P.S. Running Capital Catalyst for recently-funded deeptech and healthtech founders ($250k-5M raised) who need board-level strategic thinking before they can afford a $$$ board advisor. If that's you and you're wrestling with positioning, equity structure, or partnership decisions right now—reply and let's talk. March 2026 cohort applications open in February.

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