Techstars Founder Spotlight Sessions - Energy & Sustainability with CruxOCM
Running a successful process towards investors or landing that first customer contract is nothing but hard. Every successful founder knows this, and so do we.
Join Managing Director, Audun Abelsnes, as he sits down with Techstars alum Vicki Knott, CEO and Co-Founder of CRUX, to unpack how they secured impressive early customers and investors, navigated long corporate sales cycles, and closed their first big deals. In this candid conversation, we try to go behind the obvious and provide real learnings and real experience from founders who have “been there, done that.”
Expect real-world insights, practical advice, and live Q&A to help alumni and aspiring founders sharpen their own customer acquisition and investor process.
About Vicki & CruxOCM
Vicki Knott is CEO and Co-Founder of CruxOCM, a company pioneering human-centered industrial autonomy that transforms how critical energy infrastructure operates. A chemical engineer who trained as a control room operator, Vicki brings rare frontline operational experience to enterprise technology leadership, understanding both the strategic imperatives and day-to-day realities driving industrial transformation. Under her leadership, CruxOCM has developed AI-driven automation solutions that deliver measurable impact: dramatically increasing revenue, reducing operator workload, and enhancing safety across pipeline operations.
This combination of operational excellence and business results has attracted backing from M12, Microsoft's Venture Fund. Vicki's vision extends beyond efficiency gains to fundamental industry evolution. Crux is building technology that doesn't replace human expertise but amplifies it, creating more resilient operations and sustainable industrial systems. Her work positions CruxOCM at the intersection of digital transformation and critical infrastructure—where innovation meets the essential systems powering modern society. With deep technical expertise and proven business execution, Vicki is driving the future of industrial operations where advanced automation serves human potential rather than replacing it.
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