How SeekOps Built a Service Business Around Deep Tech

When you have breakthrough technology from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the obvious path might seem to be selling hardware. SeekOps chose differently.

In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, CEO Iain Cooper revealed how they built a global service business around their Mars rover-derived technology, making it easier for enterprises to adopt complex innovation.

The Service-First Decision

Instead of focusing on hardware sales, SeekOps developed a comprehensive service offering. “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. “Really our differentiation is we actually quantify the emissions so we can tell them the rate of emission.”

This service approach eliminated the need for customers to develop internal expertise or manage complex technology deployment. Each service engagement delivers complete results: “We typically show up as well and perform an orthomosaic map. This is a high resolution image survey so that we can really put where those emissions we have found on that image and give them the context of the operation.”

Validating the Model

The service model was validated through early customer engagements. As Iain shares: “They worked closely with Stanford University on validating the technology, that independent validation of the technology being really important for them.”

This validation helped secure crucial early support: “Subsequently got funding from the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative climate investments group, which again enabled them to grow further and work on some of the offshore technology deployments.”

Scaling Through Partners

Rather than building a massive internal service organization, SeekOps developed a partner ecosystem. “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 notes.

This partner approach enabled rapid global expansion: “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 was dramatic: “Last year we tripled our revenue from the previous year.”

From Pilots to Enterprise Scale

The service model proved particularly effective in converting pilot programs into major deployments. “That’s really all been about the transition from operators, trialing pilots, seeing how these technologies work from one or two jobs to I want to come and do 300 well pads or can you come back every quarter?” Iain explains.

This scalability was crucial in conservative industries where, as Iain notes, “Most operators like to be fast followers. No one really wants to be the first in a new market or test a new technology.”

Solving Real Business Problems

The service approach aligned perfectly with emerging regulatory requirements. “We’ve actually helped a number of the larger operators achieve OGMP Two gold standard with our technology,” Iain shares. This regulatory alignment created natural expansion opportunities.

Their focus on quantification proved especially valuable: “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.”

Future-Proofing the Model

Looking ahead, SeekOps is focused on automation to make their service model even more efficient. “I want to automate from proposal to payment… so when a customer comes with a request, everything, including the survey, the data analysis, and our payment is automated,” Iain explains.

For technical founders, SeekOps’ journey offers valuable lessons about commercializing complex technology. Success often comes not from selling technology itself, but from wrapping it in services that make adoption frictionless while solving clear business problems.

The key insight? Sometimes the best way to get breakthrough technology into the market is to deliver it as a service, eliminating adoption barriers and letting customers focus on results rather than implementation.