From $0 to $40M ARR: Winning the OT/IT Convergence Market
A commercial rebuild for a Physical AI / Industrial IoT platform — from undefined ICP and sub-60% quota to a CFO-aligned motion that scaled pipeline in 30 months.
The Challenge
I inherited an unstructured go-to-market motion for a highly capable Physical AI and Industrial IoT platform. The engineering depth was phenomenal, but commercial traction was stagnant. The ICP was undefined, sales lacked Operational Technology (OT) fluency, and quota attainment hovered below 60%.
The core issue: we were selling complex IT software features to OT plant managers who cared about machine uptime, risk, and EBITDA — not feature lists.
The Execution Architecture
1. ICP redefinition. We stopped boiling the ocean. Focus narrowed to discrete manufacturing and upstream energy accounts with 500+ employees and active SCADA/DCS deployments — mapping every deal to OT Sponsor, IT Champion, and CFO Economic Buyer.
2. Narrative overhaul. “IIoT platform” left the lexicon. The category became “Physical Operations Intelligence,” translating predictive telemetry into risk reduction and EBITDA preservation.
3. Sales motion redesign. Open-ended tech trials were replaced with structured 60-day POC architectures tied to industrial safety and downtime benchmarks.
Verified Outcomes
By treating the sales force as a primary customer and aligning the technical narrative to CFO priorities, the commercial engine scaled — securing durable market position within 30 months.