Welcome to the latest instalment of SaaSlife SPOTLIGHT, where we shine a light on innovative SaaS companies and their leaders. Today, we are thrilled to feature Marko Kaseleht, CEO and Co-Founder of SensusQ.
Marko shared insights into his founder journey, the challenges of building a startup, and the exciting future of SensusQ.
Welcome to SaaSlife Spotlight
Dan: Hey there and welcome to the latest edition of SaaSlife Spotlight. Today it's my pleasure to welcome Marko Kaseleht, CEO and co-founder of SensusQ. How are you today, Marko?
Marko: Thank you for the introduction and invitation. I am good.
Dan: Ah, good. I hope I pronounced your surname right then. I don't usually wing it, but I think I was pretty spot on there.
Marko: It was pretty spot on.
Dan: Good. So a question that I always want to jump into is as a SaaS founder, how many hats are you wearing at the moment? How many roles do you feel that you're doing at one time?
Marko: Well, I have to admit sometimes all of them, but fortunately, throughout time, we have had a chance to grow. So most of the critical roles in the company are fulfilled. So I actually am operating mostly like a CEO, but sometimes as a chief financial officer as well.
Dan: Nice. How are you enjoying the role of CEO?
Marko: Well, it's like somebody puts you in a washing machine with pricks and cactuses and then puts on a program for the next eight hours, 10 spins per minute. That's the feeling. But I wish it would suck more.
Dan: That sounds lovely.
What is SensusQ?
Dan: So, a question to start with then in relation to SensusQ. For anybody that's not aware of the organization that's listening, could you give them a brief overview as though you're speaking to a 10-year-old, just to give them a simplified view of what SensusQ does?
Marko: Basically, it's a company formed of ex-military people trying to solve a problem we faced during our military years—intelligence done with conventional means like Excel and PowerPoints. What we develop is intelligence management software that sits in end-users' premises and helps them find the right information at the right time and in the right form, digitizing the whole cycle. If you don't know what intelligence means or how our software works, imagine having an admin person who can always find you the right documents, knows exactly what to do, and is always on top of the tasks, highlighting the most important matters.
Dan: Awesome. I mean, it always seems to be the case that government departments are, in some respects, the slowest to adopt modern technologies. Are you bridging that gap and ensuring that military departments have the same technological capabilities as private sector organizations?
Marko: Yes, education carries a huge role in the defense industry. Their processes and routines are built on tradition, much like the rules of aeronautics or aerodynamics. They've been taught one way and will use that way. So, if you're developing or designing a product or software for them, it has to consider the ways and means they're currently working. It has to enhance their capabilities and bring more understanding rather than take it away. The tools cannot be confusing in this industry. The main reason why they're slow to adapt is that they are large organizations and they buy three things: some kind of advantage, some kind of edge, or a way to do something faster, better, or cheaper than before. If those three things aren't met, they won't buy. In startups, we move forward with the principle of fail fast, but in defense, you don't have room to fail. You just have to get it right the very first time.
The Founding Journey of SensusQ
Dan: So, in terms of the founding journey, as you say, your team is ex-military. What was it that sent you on the journey to create SensusQ?
Marko: I had a personal journey. I was conducting a routine patrol with my team back in 2009, and we got ambushed by the Taliban. We lost one guy killed, and three were badly injured. To make things worse, when we returned to HQ, we found out that high-level command had information about the ambush picked up by signal intelligence. The problem was they didn't share this information. It took me several years to understand that all the technologies we have today—UAVs, sensors, software—are providing so much information that it's almost impossible to put it all into context and react in time. Instead of giving us advancements, they sometimes limit us by causing extra bureaucratic processes. Intelligence is as good as the human behind it who puts it together. If that person is tired, they might miss something. That was my personal reason for starting this. The journey has been pretty awesome so far.
Dan: I can't think of many things more important or passionate in terms of a journey. Thank you for that.
Real-Life Success with SensusQ
Dan: Can you give anyone listening a bit of a case study, a success where you've used SensusQ as an organization, worked with a particular department, and impacted outcomes in a positive way?
Marko: Before explaining any case studies, it's important to understand that no software can solve organizational problems. Organizational problems are related to the attitude, culture, and basic processes of the company itself. Whatever software you're using, it can't solve those problems if the organization doesn't want to change. When we started, I looked at AI and machine learning as buzzwords. But without the right processes in place, it just creates more confusion. We started by digitizing the whole intelligence cycle. Without AI, we discovered that we could already save 30% of the time that was being spent. We tested this by putting trained intelligence teams using old methods against untrained teams using our software. The untrained teams with our software performed better. Now we're bringing AI and machine learning to enhance human capabilities and give back time, the most critical resource. Our software's most crucial factor is time—if the end-user can do their job faster, they'll have an advantage over the adversary.
Overcoming Challenges
Dan: Every founding journey is different. What would you say has been the biggest challenge for you since setting up SensusQ?
Marko: People and legal. People can disappoint when they promise more than they can deliver. The legal side is also challenging because you cannot compromise on legal steps. Shareholder agreements, license agreements, everything needs to be perfect from the start. You have to think about everything that can go wrong because eventually, something will. Co-founders might fight, there might be bad leavers, investors might not understand the business, and so on. It's also a personal challenge. Doing a startup is not a nine-to-five job—it's a non-stop journey. I've been working non-stop for the past four and a half years, and you can't forget about yourself or your family. You need high self-discipline to make things happen. You need to develop the mindset that it’s going to be a crazy, hard journey. But success and life start outside the comfort zone, so it’s going to be an uncomfortable ride until the very end.
Looking Ahead: The Future of SensusQ
Dan: Looking forward, in 12 months, where would you like the business to be? What would you like to have achieved in the next 12 months?
Marko: We are ex-military, so we use the current defense situation as rocket fuel. We've said before that these things were going to happen, and they need improvement. We know we have lots of other verticals waiting for us, like risk management, compliance, fraud, security, and others. In the next 12 months, I expect us to fulfill our current agreements and expand them. We’re focusing on Central and Eastern European expansion, with the goal of having our software in every country with borders with Russia. In 12 months, I also expect that we’ll have opened another vertical, perhaps in law enforcement, business, or financial intelligence where we’re currently conducting trials.
Dan: How are the trials going?
Marko: The results are what we expected based on our experience in the defense vertical. If people use the software, they immediately see value. It works from day zero, saving 30% of their time on regular tasks. It also builds the organization’s knowledge pyramid, meaning if key people leave, the organization still has structured information that everyone else can use.
Personal Growth as a Leader
Dan: Over the next 12 months, what would you like to achieve personally as a leader? Any areas you’d like to see growth in professionally?
Marko: I would like to go on vacation for two weeks. But every day, you learn something new. As a leader, I need to develop more patience and strategic thinking. I try to remind myself that if things are going bad, it’s not because the situation is bad—it’s how you translate it in your head. You’re a storyteller in your own mind, so you need to develop a perception over perspective, understanding and seeing your problems from different angles. That’s an absolute superpower, but it requires a huge amount of work on yourself.
Dan: That’s definitely a good area to focus on, something worth considering.
The Culture at SensusQ
Dan: If you were to describe SensusQ’s culture, how would you describe it to someone thinking about joining the organization?
Marko: We have a unique culture combining ex-military people with software developers, two totally different worlds. But we’ve made it work. We have people who do practical shooting for sport, and they take software developers to the range to share their perspective. We do LAN parties in the company every two weeks, playing old games like Quake or Red Alert. We also work with an Estonian company that provides principles of extreme leadership by Jocko Willink—our line managers go through this, and our ex-military people help others understand how software development works. The culture is constantly growing. We also do hikes, which started with three people and now involve 60-70% of the company. Lastly, we believe in the story of when President Kennedy visited NASA and asked a janitor what he was doing. The janitor replied, "I’m sending people to the moon." We believe in our mission and provide every employee with an option package, so everyone feels they’re part of the mission to revolutionize intelligence.
Advice for Aspiring SaaS Founders
Dan: Final question—what advice would you give to any budding founder, anyone with an idea?
Marko: Burn the boats. It’s much easier to take an island when you burn the boats. When we started this journey in 2017, it took us three years to really get going. I had to leave my previous comfortable job. Once I burned the boats, I was all in. Be all in and commit.
Dan: Awesome. Well, that’s it for today. Thank you very much, Marko, for introducing us to SensusQ. We wish you all the best on your mission and journey.
Marko: Thank you. Thank you for the invitation.
Conclusion
Marko and his team at SensusQ embody the spirit of resilience and innovation. Drawing from their military backgrounds, they’ve taken on the challenge of revolutionizing intelligence management, with a focus on delivering real-time, actionable insights that can make a critical difference in defense and other sectors. Marko's leadership is defined by his commitment to both his mission and his team, fostering a unique culture that blends military discipline with cutting-edge software development.
As SensusQ continues to expand and explore new verticals, Marko’s unwavering dedication to improving intelligence processes promises to bring lasting impact across industries.
To listen to the full interview - please check it out! *Coming Soon*
Stay tuned for more insights from SaaSlife SPOTLIGHT as we continue to shine a light on the brightest stars in the industry.