Im close to stopping.

Founder of a deeptech/hardware startup in a difficult sector and we are struggling to get our tech validated (latest datapoint are no improvement over the current practice). While i believe with sufficient time it can be proven and improved, that crosses into the realm of academia and not entrepeneurship.

So yeah motivation is quite low at the moment, and im not sure if to push-on or accept failure and move on.

Any advice?

Read the Wikipedia page on the sunk cost fallacy. Knowing what you know now , would you have continued down this path ? The biggest costs are always opportunity costs and investing in something that isn’t likely to pay off robs you from higher value alternatives (including rest, recharging and joining a more successful venture) .

Do you have lots of contacts in your industry? If so, consider solving their problems with existing tech for now. Most unloved corners of the physical economy will pay a give-a-darn premium to smart people who genuinely care about doing good work and satisfying their customers.

If it’s new tech or bust, build the most honest techno-economic model you can and use that to make your go/no-go decision.

Now you made me curious, do you mind sharing more?

Are you doing it to get money/success/fame? Stop. Data says no.

Are you doing it because you want to bring something new into the world? Acknowledge that and keep going as long as it's healthy for you overall.