Seven Lakes Technologies

Seven Lakes Technologies started as a solid $15 million revenue services company with deep roots in oil and gas exploration and production. The company had exceptional functional expertise in systems integration and strong R&D engineering talent, with about 70% of the team still comprised of engineers. When Salmiah Murthy joined as Chief Customer Officer, the company was transitioning into the product stage with ambitions to achieve product-market fit. However, they were immediately hit with a market downturn right as they were going to market, forcing the company to immediately pivot their strategy.

The first critical lesson came from how the founder and team responded to the market collapse. Instead of analysis paralysis, they focused on 20+ go-to-market options and narrowed down to one or two, using customer experience-led prototyping to signal to the marketplace. The original service bootstrappers thrived during this dynamic move, while some U.S. enterprise hires struggled with the pivot. The team hit the ground running with $2.2 million ARR and 16 new logos added, successfully landing an enterprise deal against $300 million ARR incumbents like Quorum and P2.

The company's early success came from positioning against much larger competitors. They secured marquee accounts from major oil and gas companies, which were essential for long-term viability in the market. The breakthrough came when they realized they needed to move away from traditional functional talent management and instead developed an in-house psychological architecture lens for understanding talent. This allowed them to identify organic talent across the organization—from office managers to engineers—and create a six-month program giving people creative ownership and board visibility. A small team of 4-5 people, many in their mid-to-late 20s, became brand design architects and evangelists managing digital events.

When the company scaled to around $4 million ARR, product implementation challenges emerged. Customers like ExxonMobil expected 2-3 month integration cycles, but the company was taking closer to 12 months. The issue wasn't capability—the implementation team was incredibly talented and consultative—but burnout from trying to solve everything themselves without clear priorities. Executive intervention established timelines, priorities, and templates upfront, allowing customers to self-serve with reporting data. This reduced time-to-value back to 2-3 months and dramatically improved retention. The team also hired technical project managers (not traditional customer success managers) with clear metrics to drive execution.

Murthy identified three key talent archetypes that drove growth: natural steady leaders who could build infrastructure (groomed into product leadership and now running platform for W Energy), drivers who could set timelines and priorities (essential for executive-level work), and "X factor" utility players who thrived on variety and didn't want to be boxed in. One such strategist became a world-class demo performer who crushed RFPs with audiences of 30-40 people, directly driving revenue.

When the 2020 oil price crash hit ($20/barrel), the company entered survival mode. They protected existing revenue by keeping core teams in formation, while hiring external coaches and bringing in new talent to train and grow a digital channel. They reduced the sales cycle and set goals for eight new buyers without burning out the team holding steady revenue. The company created an executive advisory board with ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips executives who provided market knowledge, competitive intelligence, and pricing flexibility—advantages competitors didn't have. This positioning and strong customer relationships made Seven Lakes Technologies an attractive acquisition target for W Energy Software, which acquired the company in May 2022.