Why Us?
Business and Technical Decisions Are Often Made in Silos
Billions are lost every year when technical capabilities don't align with business objectives, or business objectives are selected without adequate input on technical realities. Companies struggle to translate technical possibilities into market opportunities. Investors miss critical technical risks that derail promising ventures. Technical experts struggle to translate their knowledge into a business context. The root case? Most organizations operate with a disconnect between their technical teams and business strategy.
We bridge that gap.
“The technical breadth of experience and business acumen were crucial in helping us perform a broad instrumentation trade study. Pragmatic Frontiers delivered the work products on time, checking in along the way to ensure our expectations were aligned. I highly recommend working with Kristi!”
Chief Scientist
Mining Company
“Pragmatic Frontiers was instrumental in helping us tailor our business model for success with the U.S. government, including conducting a technical review or our internal teams, identifying gaps in our roadmap and operations for serving government customers. The work was highly detailed and consistently on time.”
Vice President, Government Affairs
Remote Sensing Company
A Rare Combination: Deep Technical Expertise Meets Business Strategy
Our approach comes from a unique background that spans both technical execution and business strategy - a combination that's essential but surprisingly rare:
Technical Foundation
- 12+ years of hands-on science and engineering experience across multiple technology sectors
- Published research and conference proceedings in emerging technology development
- Real-world product development and technical leadership experience
- Deep understanding of what drives technological successes vs failures
Business & Strategy Expertise
- Investment and deal advisory experience across multiple technology sectors
- Deep expertise in product formulation, discover, management, and go-to market.
- Trusted advisor to CEOs, founders, and board members
- Proven track record helping organizations align technical capabilities with business objectives
Why This Combination Matters
Most technical consultants can tell you how a technology works. Most business consultants can build you a strategy. We're one of the few who can tell you whether your technical capabilities can actually deliver on your business strategy- and how to fix the gaps.
“We really valued the inputs that Kristi provided us to support our planning and decision making processes. She got the balance right: we received both sufficient breadth of coverage and enough depth to ensure that we could make actionable decisions. All while being timely and succint.”
CEO
Next Generation Radar Company
What This Means For You
If You're Building A Technology Company:
- Accelerate customer discovery. Identify which technical approaches will actually create market value.
- Overcome technical roadblocks. Understand where technical issues are holding back business development and fix them.
- Make smarter technical investments. Align your R&D spending with your strategic objectives.
- Bridge team communication. Get technical and business teams on the same page and speaking the same language.
If You're Evaluating Technology Investments:
- Avoid costly mistakes. Get technical risk assessment from someone who understands both the technology and business implications.
- Ask better questions. Learn what technical factors actually impact business outcomes.
- Move faster. Make confident decisions on complex technologies without lengthly internal technical reviews.
- Get quality technical due diligence. Access technical experts that can give you actionable information relevant to your investment thesis.
If You're a Technical Expert Looking to Expand Your Impact:
- Translate technical expertise into business value. Learn to communicate technical concepts in terms that drive business decisions.
- Build strategic credibility. Position yourself as a bridge between technical possibilities and business opportunities.
- Influence decision makers. Ensure your perspective is heard when critical decisions are being made.
- Monetize your knowledge. Develop skills to provide high-value advisory services to both companies and investors.
“The mentorship, coaching, and support I received in the areas of technical, business, and risk due diligence facilitated my professional growth from a junior employee to leading the development and execution of an extensive satellite ecosystem enabled by 3rd party partnerships. It increased the quality of our partners and sped up our partnership deal pipeline to be reliably under 3 months, allowing partners to be onboarded quickly and efficiently.”
Director, Partnerships
Space Systems Company
The Pragmatic Frontiers Difference
We don't just analyze technology in isolation—we understand the business context that makes technology valuable. We don't just build business strategies—we stress-test them against technical reality.
Our approach is pragmatic: We focus on insights that actually impact your decisions and drive results, not impressive-sounding analysis that sits unused.
Our experience is relevant: We've been in your shoes, whether you're trying to turn technical capabilities into business value or evaluate whether a technology can deliver on its business promises.
Our perspective is comprehensive: Years of working at the intersection of technology and business across multiple sectors gives us unique insights into what actually drives success.
“Pragmatic Frontiers is my go-to for thorough and trustworthy technology due diligence. Kristi's technology and space expertise, combined with her professionalism, makes her an invaluable asset.”
Partner
Venture Capital Firm
Ready to align technical capabilities and business objectives?
Get in touch!
About the Founder of Pragmatic Frontiers
Kristi J. Bradford
Kristi Bradford is a systems engineer, technology strategist, and investment professional with deep expertise and experience at the interface of engineering and business. She founded Pragmatic Frontiers to bridge the divide between bold technological visions and navigating the business realities to make it happen.
Previously, she was the Space Technology Lead at In-Q-Tel, the strategic investor of the U.S. and allied national security communities, where she co-lead 23 investment deals in aerospace and defense startups. She has also held positions at The Aerospace Corporation, Planetary Resources, and various academic institutions.
She holds a dual Bachelor of Arts in Astrophysics and Earth & Planetary Science from Harvard University, a Master of Science in Exploration Systems Design (Systems Engineering) from Arizona State University, and a Master of Arts in International Science and Technology Policy from George Washington University. She is also a FAA-certified private pilot.
