Turning a Broad Opportunity Search into a Focused Market-Entry Plan

An early-stage technology business wanted to build a repeatable service for energy asset owners and operators. Clarus Caelum screened the opportunities, developed three service options and compared their customer outputs, delivery requirements and economics. The client received a recommendation, an editable commercial and financial model, and a plan for the next investigation. The work established which option to examine first before a pilot or launch decision.

The decision facing the business

Choosing an attractive sector would not answer the practical questions: who would buy, what would they receive, how would the work be delivered, and could the business support the full cost?

The team also needed to decide how much to develop itself and where existing equipment, software and specialist partners could provide a sensible starting point.

What we investigated

We screened potential markets against the customer’s need, existing provider coverage, the route to a first customer and the resources required to enter. We then developed specific service ideas and compared what each would require from the business, its customers and potential delivery partners.

This brought equipment choices together with the less visible work of producing a dependable service: handling data, checking findings, preparing customer outputs, providing support and funding delivery.

Three service options

Gas-inspection evidence

An aerial inspection service would combine gas readings, measurement locations, imagery and coverage information to help an operator direct further investigation. The service design distinguished the evidence collected from confirmation of a leak and the customer’s subsequent operating or maintenance decisions.

Solar defect and repair planning

A solar inspection service would connect findings to the correct equipment, review the defects and turn them into repair or replacement quantities. The intended customer output was material a maintenance team could use to prepare work.

Solar-site condition and repair evidence

A second solar service would assess conditions such as drainage problems, erosion and settlement. It would record their location and extent, develop repair quantities and establish the evidence needed to check subsequent work. The comparison accounted for the additional survey, civil interpretation and site-specific work this option would require.

Choosing what to investigate first

Clarus Caelum recommended concentrating the next investigation on gas inspection and deferring the two solar options.

The recommendation was to start with commercially available equipment and a specific customer output, then invest in additional software or proprietary equipment when the evidence justified it. That sequence allowed the team to test the customer need and delivery approach before committing to a wider development programme.

The commercial work examined the complete service cost, including people, equipment, specialist review, travel, support, overheads and working capital. It made the assumptions behind each option visible and identified which ones required customer or supplier confirmation.

What the client received

• A commercial decision report comparing the three services and explaining the recommended priority.

• An editable commercial and financial model covering delivery costs, operating assumptions, funding needs and pricing requirements.

• An executive presentation for discussing the options and recommendation.

• An integrated report connecting the market research, service design and commercial analysis.

• A plan and supporting presentation for the next phase, covering customer conversations, equipment checks, operating requirements, funding questions and review points.

A clearer next decision

The client could see which service to investigate first, why the other options should wait and which assumptions needed to be tested. The proposed next phase covered customer demand, equipment suitability, operating requirements and service economics before a pilot or launch decision.

When this experience is relevant

This experience is relevant when a business has several promising ideas but needs to choose a first offer, understand what delivering it would involve and decide where further investigation is worthwhile.

Relevant service streams