Landing the first enterprise deal for a deep tech startup is a classical catch-22 situation:
"Dear Mr. CEO, we loved your product and will be happy to consider doing a pilot as soon as you show positive traction with a major player in our industry."
This may seem like a dilemma with no escape, but here are a few "marks" of the target accounts that may be more open to taking some extra risk.
1) They have a history of being early adopters of new technologies (in any department)
2) They have disruptive and non-conventional products in their portfolio (btw, reaching out with a "you wouldn't have launched XYZ if you were not ready to take on some risk is a clever play for a BDR)
3) Your offer goes hand in hand with their overall plans (i.e., they have an underlined strategic initiative involving your solution category).
Anything to add?