Science has played one of the most pivotal roles in any expansion in almost every empire that has ever existed. Scientific advancements are typically applied to the field of military which is then in turn is put to conquering other empires. And through the conquering of new lands it brings about the accessibility of new resources all of which bring a new feature the field of science. It was a scientist that discovered gun powder and that changed the landscape of warfare for the rest of time. Through this modernization the man with the new technology has the upper hand he can sell this technology, this helps build capitalism.
I believe that this relationship does further progress in the free market, the people with the brains to create new things can sell the new technology and use that money to put towards new research, which of course can lead to new advancements and technologies. He or she then sells new technologies and the process continues. This is evident even today with arms dealers, arms dealers sell their stock of rifles missiles or whatever then use those funds to develop new weaponry. There is no argument that this mindset drove capitalism to be what it is today.
I think you are onto something in the cycle of capitalism and technology, but where my view differs is it is not through the sale of technologies, but the use of those technologies that power and empire are developed. Take the nuclear bomb. As Harari points out, this is one of the most consequential scientific developments in the history of man, and also one of the most guarded, even to this day. Some individuals get rich from selling the secrets, and some governments may dabble in those sales, but the country that holds the technology is the country with power, and the country with power is the country with money. The trade in technology is in the power value, not the cash value.