Crossing the Valley Ep 28: Doing Customer Discovery in Defense
Jan 8, 2025
Scott Sanders, Chief Growth Officer of Forterra and a former MARSOC team leader, shares insights into transforming defense technology. He emphasizes the crucial difference between customer needs and wants in developing ground autonomy systems. Trust and partnerships are vital in navigating complex military sales campaigns, such as the collaborative Rogue Fires project. Sanders also discusses the impact of innovative technology on military capabilities, focusing on enhancing firepower while keeping personnel safe, and addresses the evolving challenges faced by startups in the defense sector.
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Mission-Driven Product Focus
- Forterra's mission is to get humans out of harm's way by building full-stack ground autonomy for defense and commercial sectors.
- Employees treat their work as mission-driven rather than a nine-to-five job.
Seek Vision-Aligned Customers
- Find customer partners who share your vision and can grow with you instead of only building what they initially ask for.
- Give customers what they need, not just what they want, to avoid producing incremental versions of existing solutions.
Do Deep Customer Research
- Spend time researching and building trust with potential partners to learn if they will put skin in the game and adapt their operations.
- Look for customers who push back and co-invest; that indicates strong alignment.