7 Go-to-Market Lessons from Scaling Openpath to Enterprise

7 Go-to-Market Lessons from Scaling Openpath to Enterprise

Most founders entering legacy industries make the same mistake: they try to compete on features rather than architecture. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Scott Dorey, Co-Founder of Openpath, revealed how his team disrupted the access control market by making fundamentally different technology choices and GTM decisions from day one.

Build Cloud-Native or Don’t Build at All

The first lesson isn’t about sales or marketing—it’s about product architecture as a GTM advantage. Scott’s team made a critical decision before writing a single line of code: “We wanted to build something that was inherently cloud native from day one. Everything was designed to be in the cloud, API first, mobile first.”

This wasn’t just technical preference. It was a strategic moat. While competitors struggled to retrofit cloud capabilities onto legacy systems, Openpath could ship features faster, offer better pricing models, and provide capabilities that on-premise systems simply couldn’t match. The architectural decision became the foundation for every GTM motion that followed.

When you’re entering an established market, your technology choices are GTM choices. Cloud-native architecture enabled subscription pricing, remote deployment, seamless updates, and API integrations—all competitive advantages that opened doors competitors couldn’t access.

Start Narrow, Then Expand Methodically

Openpath didn’t try to serve everyone immediately. Scott describes their early strategy: “We started off very much in the tech world, very much in San Francisco, New York, you know, the tech hubs.” This geographic and psychographic focus gave them a concentrated beachhead of early adopters who valued innovation over incumbency.

The pattern here is instructive: find customers who already believe your category needs disruption. Tech companies in major hubs understood why cloud-native mattered. They didn’t need convincing about the value of mobile-first access control or API integrations. This reduced sales cycles and let Openpath refine their product with receptive customers.

Only after proving the model did they expand. “We definitely started narrow and now we’re expanding into various verticals,” Scott explains. This sequencing matters. Early revenue from enthusiastic customers funds the product development and sales infrastructure needed for broader market penetration.

Design for Viral Expansion Within Accounts

One of Openpath’s most effective growth levers was internal virality. Scott describes the mechanism: “We can get into one building and then spread out virally throughout that organization to other buildings.” This land-and-expand motion reduced customer acquisition costs while increasing lifetime value.

The product architecture supported this strategy. Because Openpath was cloud-based with a simple deployment model, expanding to additional locations didn’t require massive professional services or IT projects. A satisfied customer could easily advocate for expanding the solution to other properties or locations within their organization.

This viral expansion pattern works particularly well in industries with multi-location customers. The key is making expansion frictionless enough that satisfied users become your sales team.

Build Channel Strategy Into Your GTM DNA

As Openpath scaled, they recognized they couldn’t install and service every customer directly. Scott explains their approach: “We work a lot with systems integrators and security dealers to install and service our systems at our customers.” This channel strategy became central to their ability to scale.

Channel partnerships aren’t just about reach—they’re about leveraging existing relationships and expertise. Systems integrators already had connections with building owners and facility managers. They understood local market dynamics and building requirements. Rather than competing with this expertise, Openpath positioned their product as the premium solution partners could offer.

The lesson for founders: identify who already sells to your customers and build partnerships that make them successful. Your product needs to be partner-friendly from the architecture up—easy to install, support, and integrate.

Turn Market Disruption Into Market Opportunity

When COVID-19 hit, Openpath faced existential threat. Scott candidly admits, “Obviously during COVID, it wasn’t ideal for us. We were definitely impacted. People were not renewing, they were going out of business, they were not in their offices.”

But rather than just surviving, they pivoted aggressively. Healthcare facilities needed touchless access solutions to reduce transmission risk. Openpath’s mobile-first approach—designed originally for user convenience—became a critical safety feature. This pivot into healthcare opened an entirely new vertical that continued generating revenue beyond the pandemic.

The principle: when your primary market contracts, look for adjacent markets where your core capabilities solve urgent problems. Openpath’s technology didn’t change—their target customer and value proposition did.

Moving Upmarket Requires Complete Transformation

Transitioning from SMB to enterprise isn’t just about bigger deals—it’s about rebuilding significant parts of your company. Scott describes the shift: “In the last couple of years, we’ve moved much more up market. We’re going after the big buildings, big customers, enterprise, Fortune 500, 1000 type customers.”

This required changes across product, sales, and operations. Enterprise customers demanded enhanced security features, compliance capabilities, and support infrastructure that SMB customers didn’t need. The sales cycle lengthened. Implementation became more complex. But deal sizes grew proportionally.

The mistake many founders make is trying to serve both markets simultaneously without acknowledging the different requirements. Moving upmarket means accepting that your product, sales motion, and even brand positioning need to evolve. What worked for early adopters may actively hurt enterprise deals.

Let Product Architecture Drive GTM Strategy

The throughline across all these lessons is how Openpath’s initial architectural decisions enabled their entire GTM strategy. Scott emphasizes this: “We built it on AWS. We built a iOS and Android app from day one.” These weren’t just product features—they were strategic enablers.

Cloud-native architecture enabled viral expansion. API-first design enabled channel partnerships. Mobile-first approach enabled the healthcare pivot. The technology choices created GTM optionality that wouldn’t have existed with different architectural decisions.

For founders, this suggests reversing the typical planning sequence. Instead of building product and then figuring out GTM, consider how architectural choices will enable or constrain your go-to-market motions. The best GTM strategies emerge from product capabilities that competitors can’t easily replicate.

The Compounding Effect of Good Decisions

What makes Openpath’s story valuable isn’t any single tactic—it’s how early decisions compounded over time. Starting with cloud-native architecture enabled the API-first approach, which enabled partnerships, which enabled scale. Focusing on tech-forward early adopters built case studies that opened enterprise doors.

Each phase built on the previous one. The team didn’t need to make perfect decisions, but they needed to make decisions that preserved optionality for future growth. That’s perhaps the meta-lesson: your early GTM choices should expand, not contract, your future possibilities.

For founders disrupting legacy industries, Openpath’s journey offers a clear framework. Build architectural advantages that can’t be easily copied. Start with customers who already understand why change matters. Design expansion mechanics into your product. Leverage partners who already serve your market. Stay flexible enough to pivot when markets shift. And recognize that moving upmarket requires fundamental transformation, not just incremental improvement.