Why do some space, defence and dual-use companies scale belief - while others collapse under it? In this episode, Katie breaks down two real post-2000s case studies from the global space sector.

Both had world-changing ambition.

Both aimed for the same destination.

Only one survived.

This episode explores:

• Why storytelling is a strategic asset in space, defence and dual-use tech
• How over-reliance on hype, media and attention can destroy credibility
• The concept of the credibility ladder - and why investors, partners and talent subconsciously look for it
• The difference between a compelling mission and a survivable narrative
• How proof, not persuasion, ultimately does the heavy lifting
  

If you’re a founder, CEO, Chair, investor or advisor working in:

space tech, defence, aerospace, fusion, energy, deep tech or dual-use innovation - this episode will change how you think about storytelling.

🎧 Company names revealed inside.

Dual-use technology has a branding problem and it’s costing founders trust, talent, and traction.

In this episode, we break down what dual-use tech actually is (and what it isn’t), why it carries a strange and often negative reputation, and how founders unintentionally sabotage credibility by leading with the wrong language at the wrong time.

We explain why dual-use is a strategy, not a category, how to position mission-critical technology without scaring investors or hires, and how communication needs to evolve from pre-seed to Series A.

If you’re building technology that needs to work when conditions change - and want the right stakeholders around the table - this episode is essential listening.

Key topics:

• Dual-use tech explained clearly and simply

• Why “dual-use” triggers resistance (and how to defuse it)

• Defence, space, and mission-critical tech branding

• Founder messaging from pre-seed to Series A

Who this episode is for:

✔ Founders and CEOs in deep tech, defence, space, infrastructure, or mission-critical software

✔ Pre-seed to Series A teams navigating dual-use markets

✔ Chairs and Board members thinking about reputation, risk, and long-term credibility

✔ Investors and advisors working with defence-adjacent or government-facing startups

✔ Anyone who’s ever struggled to explain what they do without sounding awkward, alarming, or dull

About your host and Chief Cat Herder, Katie Caiger

Katie Caiger is a strategic communications advisor who works with founders, CEOs, and leadership teams in science-led and technical companies across the UK and German-speaking Europe.

Katie helps organisations make themselves legible - to investors, employees, boards, and the outside world - by aligning internal narratives before polishing the external story. Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, culture, psychology, and storytelling, with a particular focus on companies operating under complexity, uncertainty, and scale.

Katie is the brain behind Haus of Words®, working across the UK and Germany as senior, fractional communications strategists and advisors. They help founders, CEOs, and Boards in Defence, Space, Clean Energy and Deep Tech build calm, credible narratives that stand up in boardrooms, investor meetings, and procurement conversations.

Subscribe for more conversations on cultural leadership, communication, and trust in complex tech. Share this episode with a founder or Chair who needs a better way to explain what they’re building. If you’re navigating dual-use or defence-adjacent markets and need senior, fractional support in the UK or Germany, you’ll find us at Haus of Words®. 🎧 Weekly episodes on leadership, culture, and making complex organisations legible.

Send your questions and topic ideas to:

Katie@Hausofwords.com

Investors don’t ghost you because the tech isn’t good enough but because the story doesn’t line up.

In this episode of Herding Cats, we unpack why promising investor conversations quietly die after “great meeting!” emails - and why throwing more slides, detail, and jargon at the problem makes it worse.

We are talking about coherence and how fragmented internal narratives quietly erode trust, and why one clear, shared story beats five impressive ones every time.

If you’re raising money, scaling a technical company, or wondering why confidence drops just when things should be working - this episode will make something click.

🎧 Follow for weekly episodes on leadership, culture, and making complex organisations legible.

About your host and Chief Cat Herder, Katie Caiger

Katie Caiger is a strategic communications advisor who works with founders, CEOs, and leadership teams in science-led and technical companies across the UK and German-speaking Europe.

She helps organisations make themselves legible - to investors, employees, boards, and the outside world - by aligning internal narratives before polishing the external story. Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, culture, psychology, and storytelling, with a particular focus on companies operating under complexity, uncertainty, and scale.

Before founding Haus of Words®, Katie spent over a decade translating highly technical material for global engineering, energy, space and aerospace organisations. She now applies that same precision to human systems: surfacing fragmentation, reducing cognitive load, and helping teams tell one coherent story they can actually execute on.

Herding Cats is where she unpacks what really breaks down inside growing organisations - and what fixes it - without management theatre, buzzwords, or motivational noise.