“We typically do not invest in ideas, but we invest in tech people with specialised skills and then we work with them to look for market opportunities to which their skills can be applied – that’s the incubation phase,” is how Alphawave CEO Frans Meyer explains the organisation’s approach to incubation and support.
When the startup finds its product and market fit, Alphawave doubles down on its investment. “In this phase, we provide stability with capital. Being willing to invest in their growth. They don’t have to always be on the lookout for the next ‘raise’ – they can focus on appointing the people required and getting their go-to market strategy in order. If they make growth progress, we stand ready with capital or facilitate partner investment,” explains Meyer.
Learning to fly
It’s a proven formula which has seen multiple successful businesses flourishing within the Alphawave ecosystem – and beyond.
One such business is Skynamo, a unified sales operations platform designed specifically for manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors, which was acquired by UK-based Klipboard in March 2026.
Another, Inrange Golf, developed a radar-based smart tracking technology used at driving ranges that transforms traditional practice into a data driven gaming experience. Inrange has scaled to over 85 sites worldwide – most famously , to Manhattan’s Chelsea Piers Golf Club.
“Building a hardware and software business from scratch is capital-intensive and talent-hungry from day one,” explains Inrange CEO, SJ Marais. “Alphawave helped us address both. They provided initial capital alongside HCI and seconded skilled people from other group companies into our teams – people we already knew and trusted – which meant we could fill critical roles without the risk of early hires.”
“Board-level input, access to group legal and HR services, and the credibility that comes with being part of an established portfolio rounded out a support structure that let us focus on building the actual business,” he says.
Evolving with the business
CEO of Radio frequency exposure measurement device specialists FieldSENSE, Max Birch, says that startups, having crossed the first hurdle of product market fit often fail when scaling due to either having poor, unscalable systems in place, or cashflow constraints. “The Alphawave incubator mitigates both of these by leveraging a wealth of in-house expertise, partners and funding,” he says.
The Alphawave incubator framework allows startups to focus exclusively on solving a client’s specific problem in a financially viable, scalable and sustainable manner.
Marais says that as Inrange grew, the nature of Alphawave’s support evolved. “The seconded individuals who helped us get off the ground either integrated fully into Inrange or continued as shared services where that still made sense – so the scaffolding adapted rather than just falling away. Alphawave’s shareholder network also helped us secure bank funding at the right moment, which was a meaningful shift in how we could structure the business”.
Searching for stability
Stability in the startup space is the Holy Grail – and something unimaginable to many founders who find themselves facing turbulence on a daily basis.
Stability is a home base from which excursions are launched.
“Stability is a home base from which excursions are launched,” says Birch. “Alphawave ensures that startups can really take the time to fully understand the problems they are setting out to solve, and put all their energy into crafting a business which executes on that as efficiently and profitably as possible. Effort spent on other non-core issues carries a high opportunity cost, which would otherwise stunt growth.”
Marais says that stability isn’t about staying still – it’s about having a structure that can absorb change without losing direction. “The companies that confuse stability with predictability get left behind. What’s kept Inrange grounded is a capital structure flexible enough to adapt to what the business actually needs at each stage, combined with access to experience from people who’ve seen the territory before. Those two things together mean you can move fast without making avoidable mistakes,” he says.
How Alphawave helps to balance (and do) it all
Alphawave partners with exceptional technology founders and helps them turn ideas into scalable ventures by giving them the approach, tools and structure to balance the base ingredients all budding businesses need – innovation and stability. Unlike traditional venture capital firms, we are engineers first – providing hands-on technical expertise alongside strategic business guidance.
Our portfolio spans start-ups to established companies, creating a cycle where the experience and profits of mature businesses are used to help accelerate the growth of emerging ones. That’s what the proven formula at Alphawave delivers: Innovation. Engineered for certainty.