FrackOp came into I-Corps confident they understood their market. Customer discovery showed them just how much they had left to learn.
The hydraulic fracturing process is expensive, complex, and unforgiving. A single well can run 10,000 feet deep and stretch another 10,000 feet laterally, with dozens of individual stages, each one representing both a significant cost and an opportunity to optimize. Operators are making real-time decisions under pressure, with millions of dollars on the line and a narrow window to course correct at each stage.
FrackOp is developing a software tool for hydraulic fracturing operations, targeting a gap that exists particularly among mid-sized operators in the oil and gas industry. The team, led by entrepreneurial leads Demetrius Maxey and Fatema Saberi, understood their technology well. What they didn’t fully understand was who would be buying it and making decisions about it in the field.
Through customer discovery interviews, the team found that the decision-making landscape in their industry was far more layered than they had anticipated. Who held influence, who held budget authority, and who had final say on the ground were very different people, and understanding that distinction fundamentally changed how the team thinks about their go-to-market strategy.
For Demetrius, one of the most valuable parts of the process was learning to follow the conversation beyond the prepared questions. About half of the team’s interviews ran long, and those extended conversations often produced the most useful insights. “A 15-minute meeting turns into a 45-minute discussion,” he said. “That’s a great opportunity.”
The team is now pursuing national-level grant funding to bring on a full-time fellow and advance development toward a beta rollout. Demetrius’ advice to anyone considering the program: “Don’t be the smart guy who develops everything in the laboratory on your own, because your customers are going to tell you what they need if you will get out and talk to them.”