5 Go-to-Market Lessons from SeekOps’ Journey: Scaling Deep Tech in Conservative Industries
When NASA technology meets industrial markets, the path to commercialization isn’t obvious. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, SeekOps CEO Iain Cooper shared how they transformed specialized drone technology into a global emissions monitoring business. Here are the key go-to-market lessons from their journey.
- Turn Technical Validation into Market Credibility
For deep tech startups, third-party validation can accelerate market adoption more effectively than sales pitches. SeekOps recognized this early, partnering strategically with Stanford University to validate their NASA-derived technology. As Iain explains: “They worked closely with Stanford University on validating the technology, that independent validation of the technology being really important for them.”
This validation approach created a foundation of trust that helped overcome the natural skepticism of industrial customers. Instead of just claiming superior technology, they could point to independent verification of their capabilities.
- Align with Regulatory Catalysts
Rather than fighting regulatory headwinds, SeekOps positioned their solution as a path to compliance. “We’ve actually helped a number of the larger operators achieve OGMP Two gold standard with our technology,” Iain notes. This alignment with regulatory requirements created natural adoption incentives.
The strategy paid off as regulations evolved: “EPA is still deliberating what improvements they’re going to make to their regulations… We feel this is certainly going to mandate, again, quantification, not just detection, which is the current regulatory requirement.”
- Choose Service Over Product
Instead of selling hardware, SeekOps opted for a service-based model that lowered adoption barriers. “We are typically contracted by an operator to fly a facility for them to determine again the emissions at kind of the asset level,” Iain explains. This approach eliminated customers’ need to invest in equipment or develop internal expertise.
The service model also enabled them to deliver more value: “Really our differentiation is we actually quantify the emissions so we can tell them the rate of emission so it enables them to one, roll up their emission statistics, whether they’re going to use it for ESG reporting or enable them to triage the repairs.”
- Scale Through Partners, Not Headcount
Rather than building a massive internal operation, SeekOps created a partner ecosystem for rapid scaling. “We don’t plan on adding a lot of heads because again, our business model really is to scale with those drone service providers as independent industrial drone companies that have already got significant flight approvals from operators,” Iain shares.
This partner-first approach enabled them to achieve global reach efficiently: “We are now commercial on six continents, we’ve trained at least two or more drone service companies in each of our key regions.” The result? “Last year we tripled our revenue from the previous year.”
- Lead with Education, Not Marketing
In emerging technical markets, education often matters more than promotion. “There’s a lot of misinformation, particularly in this space out there, that we’ve had to correct by looking at the science of emissions rather than the marketing of emissions,” Iain explains.
Instead of overselling their solution, they acknowledged industry complexities: “There’s no silver bullet when you’re addressing emissions… It’s going to require a combination of technologies and also operators and service companies working in harmony.”
This honest, science-based approach helped overcome the natural resistance to new technologies in industrial markets. As Iain notes, while “most operators like to be fast followers,” providing clear education and validation through pilot programs helped drive adoption.
For technical founders navigating industrial markets, SeekOps’ journey illustrates how combining breakthrough technology with thoughtful go-to-market strategies can accelerate adoption in conservative industries. The key lies not in forcing the market to adapt to your technology, but in making adoption as frictionless as possible while solving real regulatory and operational challenges.