Entarian starts anew with rebrand after ERT-Sev1Tech combination

Earth Resources Technology Inc.’s acquisition of Sev1Tech in February not only tripled the size of the workforce, it also provided an opportunity to take a fresh look at how to present this new company.

Entarian is the new name for this now-1,600 employee team after going through the exercise of what has already not been taken. CEO Mark Lee described the word as a rough Latin translation of “two becoming one,” which also applies to the environment Entarian is looking to create through this fresh start.

“You want to make sure that whatever culture you want to establish at the corporate level is kind a big tent that a lot of different kinds of people can feel a part of,” Lee told WT. “That's really what we've been striving to create as we've come together, to make sure that we've got a big tent that supports a lot of different points of view, different types of expertise and the different kinds of customers that we're serving.”

Space Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration certainly would represent customer diversity for Entarian. But those agencies also share the common thread of having to manage space assets as part of their missions.

With that mission set evolving, how can Entarian move as their customers do and well before it is time to start the recompete process?

Enter into the equation a solution development team that Entarian has stood up to act as an engine constantly looking at what their customers need during the course of the contract. This team reports directly to Lee.

Martin Wright and Vir Thanvi lead this effort in their respective roles as chief solutions officer and senior vice president of integrated solutions.

Chris Rodriguez, Entarian’s chief growth officer, told WT this team is tasked with creating ideas to answer both explicit and implicit requirements that then are pitched to the customer.

Rodriguez provided example problem sets that include resiliency in satellite communications and finding ways to integrate artificial intelligence into cybersecurity functions.

“We don’t want our solutions to be exclusively focused on growth initiatives,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a matter of finding ways to be good stewards of our clients' time, our clients' dollars, and always finding ways to advance their missions.”

As ever when forming a company like Entarian, having one eye on growth and entering new markets along the way is a core part of the strategy and approach for carrying it out.

That includes looking at opportunities Entarian sees itself as better positioned to compete for as a larger business.

Rodriguez said the ground operations of Space Force is one area Entarian believes it can now enter, thanks to a $188 million global network contract that Sev1Tech booked in 2024.

“We look for areas where we're engaging in common domain sets that represent a new customer base,” Rodriguez said. “The long-term pole in the tent here from the from the growth perspective is how we take our space capabilities and move into other market sets, whether its supporting the Army, MDA (Missile Defense Agency) or Navy.”

Much of that harkens back to the rationale behind putting ERT and Sev1Tech together in the first place. ERT’s business was mostly civilian and Sev1Tech’s portfolio tilted more toward defense, while Sev1Tech largely defined themselves as a technology company.

But Lee characterized both companies as having similar approaches to looking at and coming up with solutions for problems customers navigate, so finding common ground on that front has not been a significant hurdle to climb.

“If you want to deliver technology, understanding the underlying subject matter allows you to do that a lot more effectively,” Lee said.