Go-to-market case study: taking a US neurotech device to market

The client and the problem

The client is a US neurotech company. Its product is a head-worn device that uses EEG for neurotherapy and neurofeedback, paired with an app that customers pay for monthly. The United States is the main market, with a smaller second market behind it.

What it needed was a plan that joined the pieces: how the business would operate, how it would reach its first customers, what the brand would look like, and how the website would explain a technical product to ordinary buyers.

What we did

• A business plan, an operating plan and a marketing plan, written as one connected document set rather than three separate reports.
• Competitor research, to see how similar devices are positioned, sold and explained.
• Branding for the product.
• Website mockups showing how the product, the subscription and the science would be presented to buyers.

The original route to market

The first version of the plan put Meta ads at the centre. Paid social would drive direct sales to consumers, and partnerships with clinics would sit alongside it as a second channel.

That is a sensible route for a consumer device with a clear visual story. It also needs money up front: ad spend has to be paid before the revenue arrives, and a new product usually takes time to find the audiences and messages that work.

Changing the route to market

Partway through the engagement the company changed its priorities. As a self-funded startup, its first goal became earning revenue rather than buying growth, so the plan had to lead with a channel that needs less cash up front.

We reworked the plan around partnerships as the first channel and moved paid social later, to be funded by early revenue. The operating plan, the marketing plan, the partner pitch and the website story were all updated to match.

How we ran it

One Signal Lead held the whole engagement: strategy, brand and web. That mattered when the strategy changed. A change like this touches the operating plan, the marketing plan, the pitch to partners and the website story at the same time. With one accountable lead, the change is worked through once, across everything, instead of in four separate conversations.

We follow the same steps on every project: Talk, Plan, Build, Grow. For a launch, the Plan stage is the product. Every date we agree goes in writing, so the client always knows what is due and when.

What changed

The company now has a written business, operating and marketing plan, a brand, website mockups and a view of its competitors. It also has a clear direction for its first stage of growth: earn first through partners, then spend on marketing.

We have no sales figures to report from this stage, and we will not invent any. The honest result so far is a written plan the founders can act on.

Lessons from this go-to-market case study for health tech founders

• Write the business, operating and marketing plans together; each one depends on the others.
• Price the cash cost of your first channel before you commit to it.
• Partners can be a sales channel that needs little up-front spend.
• Check the legal side of any health partnership before you sign the first one.
• Decide early who owns partner recruitment and management.

Services used

Strategy and Go-to-Market for the plans and competitor research, plus brand and Web Development work for the identity and mockups. If you are planning a launch in health tech, book a 15-minute call to check whether we fit.

Book a 15-minute call.

A fit check, not a pitch. A few questions, an honest answer and a clear next step. Not every call ends in a proposal.

Book 15 minutes