Technical founder trying to find the right business partner for a botanical manufacturing startup. I will not promote

I’m a pharmacognosy researcher and process-development chemist. For the past several years, I’ve been developing a process for extracting, purifying, and standardizing plant-derived alkaloids. My current focus is kanna. At small scale, I can produce approximately 40 g/week of ~60% alkaloid isolate, and after providing samples to distributors and manufacturers, I’ve received interest in quantities far beyond my current production capability. That led me to develop a detailed scale-up plan targeting roughly 50–100 kg/month of standardized 5% finished product. I’ve also tested variations of the underlying method on several other botanical species with similar results, so I believe there may be a broader platform here beyond one product. My background is heavily technical: pharmacognosy, pharmaceutical manufacturing, analytical chemistry, QC/QA, and process development. Where I’m struggling is the business side. I don’t think what I need most is simply an investor. I think I need the right commercial/operations partner; someone who understands business development, manufacturing, distribution, fundraising, or scaling an early-stage company and can complement what I bring technically. For founders who have been in a similar position, how did you find a serious business partner without giving up too much control or ending up with someone who wasn’t equally committed? I’d especially be interested in hearing how other technical founders evaluated potential partners before formally going into business together.