The perennial question! How much should I spend on design and communication for science brand? If we were in your shoes the goal would be to spend enough but only on the right stuff.
If you’re funding is under $2M you don’t spend more than $50k on a brand, site, messaging, and deck. Any more than that might be silly considering you probably don’t know yet if you have market fit.
If your funding is closer to $10M you could think about $150k-200k on your external marketing budget. Showing yourself off as an established player is critical.
If your funding is $50M-$200M you might be thinking about $250k-$500k/yr on marketing. Your brand should be remarkable, your site fresh and up to date, and your content relevant and inspiring. That takes a concerted effort.