Crossing the Valley
Crossing the Valley
Ep 29: Finding a Needle in the Haystack
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Ep 29: Finding a Needle in the Haystack

Overwatch Imaging Founder and CEO Greg Davis joins us to talk fighting fires, building in Oregon, and mission-driven development.

About Greg

Greg Davis's path to founding Overwatch Imaging started in the research labs of NASA Ames, where he first encountered the challenge of integrating unmanned systems into complex operations. After a stint at Lockheed Martin working on classified space programs, he joined Insitu, a small drone company that would transform aerial reconnaissance. There, he helped grow the company from 100 to 800 people and saw their ScanEagle system log over a million flight hours supporting critical missions. The experience taught him something crucial: the real challenge wasn't building better drones—it was making sense of the massive amount of data they collected.

About Overwatch Imaging

Founded in Hood River, Oregon, Overwatch Imaging is changing how the industry processes aerial sensor data through automation. Rather than building another drone company, they're creating technology that makes every aerial platform smarter. Their automated sensor operator software tackles a critical challenge: helping small teams process massive amounts of aerial data efficiently. The company, now 30 people strong, has evolved from supporting emergency response to providing crucial capabilities across defense and commercial applications. They're proving that you don't need to be in a traditional tech hub to build world-changing technology.

Key Takeaways

1. Location Can Be a Strategic Advantage: While Hood River, Oregon might seem an unlikely place for an aerospace company, it's become a powerful hub of innovation. The Gorge Tech Alliance, sparked by Insitu's success, has created a unique ecosystem where expertise in airborne imaging systems concentrates in a tight-knit community of 10,000 people.

2. Enhancement Over Replacement: Instead of competing with established sensor manufacturers, Overwatch chose to make their systems better through automation. This strategic decision turned potential competitors into partners and opened doors across the industry. As Greg puts it, "If we can be the supplier of choice to everybody who's bidding on a contract, then we're pretty confident we'll end up winning the work."

3. The Market Creation Challenge: The hardest part often isn't building the technology—it's creating the market for it. While Overwatch's engineering team naturally focuses on the next technical challenge, Greg learned they needed to put equal emphasis on market development and helping customers understand the possibilities of automation.

4. The Power of Mission-Driven Development: Building technology that saves lives attracts passionate people who want to make a difference. This creates a virtuous cycle where team commitment drives innovation, which in turn increases impact. The focus on "missions that matter" has become a core part of Overwatch's DNA.

5. Navigating Multiple Valleys: There isn't just one "valley of death" to cross in defense tech. Each new market, capability, or adoption hurdle presents its own valley. Success comes from recognizing these challenges early and building the stamina to cross them systematically.

For more about Overwatch: https://www.overwatchimaging.com/

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