The Year of Global Expansion

New experiences of growth

How has Sensat experienced growth in the past year?

Sensat’s journey has been a testament to growth. Whereas before, it has been about growing headcount and new office spaces, this past year we have focused on international growth, winning new logos across the globe. 

For the first time this year, we've expanded our reach from serving customers in only two countries 

 to now proudly working with customers in eight. This year, we opened an office in Sydney, Australia where we sent a small team to start the legwork. And, after 8 months, I'm pleased to say that we have started to not just win, but win big out there. 

At the same time, we are also experiencing organic growth. Our customers are taking us to projects around the world with them, from the Arctic Circle to the United States. This is something that I am particularly proud of as it reflects the unique value Sensat brings to our clients, which isn't found elsewhere.

When I think back to our beginnings when Harry and I started Sensat in a little kitchen in London, I had no idea Sensat would have this much impact on the industry. And, I am looking forward to seeing what the next year of growth will look like.

Leaning into our visualisation platform’s development

What has Sensat’s focus been on developing the platform? 

To support our international expansion efforts we have had to also grow from a technical standpoint. We've dedicated significant efforts to fine-tuning our platform to better cater to different regions. Our focus in particular, has been on optimising Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and Edge processing, enabling a swift and seamless experience for our customers, no matter where they are in the world. 

This year we have also spent a lot of time ensuring that Sensat compliments existing systems teams already work with. As an industry, civil infrastructure relies on several fundamental applications to deliver projects. However, teams often need help to bring this information together in a way that everyone can gain real value. Sensat’s visualisation platform allows teams to combine, layer and visualise multiple datasets in real-world context to enable a more holistic perspective. Thanks to our focus on integrations, this year we have enabled file syncs between Autodesk Construction Cloud, Oracle Aconnex and Bentley ProjectWise so that teams can better leverage the information they already have. 

We have also given a lot of focus to the support we give to our customers. Once a project is started we dedicate a customer success manager to the project committed to helping the users find value. This includes enabling highly tailored onboarding for teams. Not just sitting on a Microsoft Teams call with 50 people watching a dull presentation, but working through tailored use cases with them. This has been key to Sensat’s success. 

Supporting $250bn of capital delivery projects

Can you highlight significant milestones reached over the past year?

We officially launched our visualisation platform two years ago which was a pivotal time to launch. It was during the pandemic when teams were trying to access information about their sites remotely be it from a socially distanced office or their home. The market was ripe to embrace innovation.

Since 2021, our platform users have continued to grow and this year we have achieved some pretty major milestones, to list just a few we: 

• Secured contracts against over $250bn of capital delivery projects with some of the world’s most high-profile and renowned Infrastructure asset owners.
• Expanded our customer base into 8 countries globally.
• Repeatedly win head-to-head against large multinational US software vendors.
• Boosted sales efficiency by ↑10X.
• Attained an NPS of 54 over the past 12 months (considered excellent).

This is a testament to our team, who have an unwavering focus on delivering top-tier services to our customers. At Sensat everyone has some responsibility for the success of our platform and that is what has made the difference. 

“Sensat helps us to drive active decisions. It creates a clear, understandable view of what is happening (and cuts out the b******t!)” — Design Manager.

Making an impact in infrastructure

How do you see Sensat impacting the infrastructure industry? 

Civil infrastructure has long been entrenched in legacy processes that have remained largely unchallenged. However, we are excited to be part of the movement that is shaking things up. The adoption of Sensat has required champions from within the industry to challenge the status quo, with the understanding that Sensat not only promises a rewarding return on investment but also genuinely makes their jobs easier.

A prime example of this transformation is how we are helping early-stage planning for electricity projects. In the past, teams grappled with the access and volume of constraint data that needed to be assessed. Using Sensat, teams are now bringing all this information and visualising it in a real-world context to streamline planning. 

We are also helping teams undertake tasks that have never been done before. Take the telecommunications industry which faces the colossal challenge of the 5G rollout. Using traditional methods, this goal would be unattainable within the desired timeframe. Finding an entirely new use case for Sensat, teams are using our platform to access an accurate digital representation of streets to do their jobs with increased efficiency and collaboration. 

“We’ve been able to increase output massively. It now takes us six months (to do) what previously took two years.” Project Manager, Network Rail.

The importance of storytelling 

What are you most proud of over the past year? 

Over the past year, there have been many things at Sensat that make me immensely proud. Our team, our product, and our culture. However, the most gratifying aspect this year has been witnessing our customers effectively utilising Sensat to tell the story of their project. I've realised the importance of storytelling in infrastructure, which I hadn’t realised before. This can range from explaining plans to non-technical local communities about why a new transmission route has been chosen, to conveying constraints to highly technical teams. Using Sensat, teams are transforming weeks of back-and-forth meetings into just a two-hour slot. Technical or non-technically trained, everyone can understand what is being shown to them. 

As a slightly different example, Wilderkind, a rewilding charity that we support, came into our London HQ and pulled up a visualisation of the rewilding site on Sensat. Using our platform, their team showcased a scan of the site, identifying invasive species they are monitoring and, importantly, showed us how it is helping them understand and influence their strategy. It's moments like these that indeed underscore the power and value of Sensat in bridging communication gaps and making a real-world impact in the field of infrastructure.

“As a project manager, staring at drawings doesn’t give me an appreciation of what it will look like. Sensat does.” — Project Manager, Octavius. 

Next up

What are your hopes for the next year?

I am enjoying the size of Sensat at the moment; we are grown up enough that we have an established team, but still agile enough that we can respond quickly to our surroundings. Over the next year, I see Sensat doubling down on the pain points in the market which are resonating with our customers. I am looking forward to continuing to solidify new and existing relationships with our global partners and continuing to grow our Sydney office. 

As the age-old saying goes, ‘the only constant in life is change’, which could never be more true in Sensat’s case.