When Shawn Martens, co-founder of IronSight, was first encouraged by an investor to apply to Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), he was hesitant. With the demands of running a rapidly growing company, he felt there wasn’t room for another commitment. With encouragement from his team and support from his head of engineering, Mike Milner – a Haskayne School of Business MBA graduate who recognized the value of CDL, Martens decided to apply.
IronSight, an innovative software solution streamlining operations in the oil and gas sector, joined the CDL-Rockies Energy stream in 2021, where Martens quickly recognized the unique value the program offered.
“Unlike traditional startup programs, CDL provided accountability through direct mentorship from seasoned industry experts who had no financial stake at the outset. This impartial guidance was precisely what IronSight needed at that critical moment,” says Shawn as he describes that the company was just about to take on outside funding.
Martens credits CDL’s structured mentorship as pivotal. Every few weeks, he met with mentors who provided unbiased, actionable feedback that compelled him to achieve significant milestones. “You need accountability outside of an investor or someone with bias,” Martens emphasized. He recalled making tough business decisions, including restructuring team composition and passing on revenue opportunities that weren’t directly aligned to strategy, due to the insights and accountability CDL mentors provided, decisions he now sees as essential to IronSight’s growth.
A notable highlight was the involvement of CDL mentor Scott Saxberg, a respected figure in the entrepreneurial community, who supported IronSight early on and is now a member of their board.
“Ironsight met all three of our main criteria for investment, strong team, financial value proposition and a technology that solved problems in multiple industries. From our perspective they had a team with two key founders that were great communicators that understood what they needed to accomplish to succeed and were highly coachable,” says Scott Saxberg. “Throughout the program they met or exceeded their objectives and progressed with sales. It gave us the confidence to lead the financing and for me to join the board. All three of their strengths came together over the last three years to create the opportunity for an exit and again at the right valuation for were the sales and level of growth they had achieved. This company is now set for accelerated growth and a larger platform that is global.”
Several CDL mentors also became investors throughout the program, greatly assisting in closing IronSight’s funding round.
Reflecting on the program, Martens describes CDL as a crucial turning point: “It was exactly what IronSight needed. The mentorship was real, the feedback was candid, and the accountability was unmatched.”
Recently, IronSight reached another impressive milestone – its acquisition by Kabal, a global leader in logistics software for energy operators. This acquisition not only marks a successful exit for IronSight’s early investors – including CDL mentors, but also created the energy sectors first fully integrated logistics platform enabling energy companies to plan, execute and continuously improve logistics across the energy supply chain.
Moving forward, Martens remains involved in IronSight’s integration with Kabal, optimistic about the collaboration between the two companies. He attributes much of IronSight’s trajectory and ultimate acquisition to the formative experiences gained at CDL. His advice to potential CDL applicants is clear: “If you’re a founder needing genuine, actionable accountability and support without bias, CDL is one of the best decisions you’ll make.”
