Ash Stott: How voluntary redundancy, a couple slides and a £50 prototype launched a deep tech startup

In this episode of The Research Adventure Podcast we speak with Ash Stott, CEO and Co-founder of Rhizo PTX, a deep-tech startup developing scalable systems for producing green ammonia.

Ash shares his journey from physics PhD to founder, via industry experience in hydrogen technologies, and reflects on the moment he chose to leave a secure role to build something of his own. He describes how a £50 garage prototype helped secure early investment, even before the technology was fully proven, and why small, focused teams can often move faster than large organisations.

The conversation explores the value of industry experience for first-time founders, the importance of engaging investors early, and how a single conversation reshaped their go-to-market strategy. Ash also outlines his long-term vision for green ammonia, from bench-top systems to containerised solutions and ultimately global impact.