LC Lewis Carney.
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R&D Leadership

From R&D to robust product delivery.

I help scientific instrumentation, life-science, and deep-tech companies turn promising R&D into manufacturable, customer-ready products — across hardware, software, and consumables.

My background combines software, systems thinking, multidisciplinary R&D leadership, manufacturing transfer, and customer-facing delivery. Most recently, at Refeyn, I joined as employee #16 and grew with the company to more than 180 people, eventually leading R&D.

I now work with early-stage and scaling companies navigating similar challenges.

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Where I help

Across the full product journey.

Most useful from Minimum Viable Product (MVP) onwards — when turning a working proof of concept (POC) into a reliable, manufacturable product becomes the hard part.

1 POC Idea, feasibility 2 MVP & prototypes Working systems, first integrations 3 Industrialisation Manufacturing, supplier readiness 4 Scale-up & QC Reliability, yield, customer install My deepest value sits across stages 2–4
Stage 2 · MVP

Make it work, repeatably.

Stabilising integration across hardware, software, and consumables before scaling.

Stage 3 · Industrialisation

Manufacturing & transfer.

Supplier readiness, FAT/SAT, R&D-to-Operations handover, outsourced manufacturing partners.

Stage 4 · Scale-up

Reliability at customer sites.

Yield, install reliability, field-issue feedback loops, GMP-grade product workflows.

Why work with me

Track record across hardware, software, and consumables.

4 Concurrent product programmes delivered as VP — 2 platforms, 1 consumable, software releases
35 Multidisciplinary R&D engineers and scientists led across HW, SW, consumables & applications
95% Manufacturing yield on a consumables product line, up from 40% (six-figure scrap eliminated)
$1M+ Follow-on revenue from a customer-critical GMP install I directed end-to-end
$7M+ R&D budget owned across Opex, Capex, and headcount
15+ Products supported across instruments, software applications, add-ons, consumable surfaces, and calibrants
#16 Joined Refeyn as employee #16; grew with it past 180 staff
1 Major instrument platform outsourced to manufacturer in Asia
A software-and-systems background is unusual at this level — I'm comfortable in the codebase, in the lab, in-front of customers, with suppliers, and in the boardroom. That breadth means I can spot the real bottleneck rather than only the one closest to my training.
Services

Three ways to engage.

Each scoped to a clear outcome and timebox. Detail and process on the services page.

Best for: founder-led teams

Scale-up Diagnostic

External assessment of where a product programme is fragile and what to prioritise next.

Output: 90-day action plan
Best for: teams entering manufacturing, or manufacturing scale-up

Industrialisation & Delivery Readiness

Manufacturing transfer, supplier readiness, FAT/SAT, R&D-to-Ops handover, install reliability.

Output: readiness assessment + plan
Best for: companies pre-full-time hire

Fractional VP R&D

Embedded senior leadership: programme delivery, cross-functional alignment, board reporting.

Ongoing monthly retainer

Considering scale-up, industrialisation, or a key product milestone?

A 30-minute discovery call is a free, no-obligation way to see whether I can be useful. I'll come prepared.

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