From Mars to Earth’s oil wells: How CDL-Rockies supported IS Energy’s mission to bring solutions from space into our atmosphere

It’s rare to get all of the right people in one room and turn an idea into reality – but that’s what happened with Pablo Sobron and Ariel Torre, co-founders of Impossible Sensing Energy (IS Energy) when they participated in CDL-Rockies . With the guidance and support of CDL’s mentors, the duo saw their innovative technology become a viable solution for the energy industry.?

IS Energy uses advanced technology to develop measurement solutions for oil and gas producers. Its patent-pending product, FLOW, measures all components of an emulsion from oil and gas production in real time, offering full production visibility and enabling equipment and process improvements. According to IS Energy, this allows producers to cut their GHG emissions up to 90 percent in oil sands and 10 percent in regular oil and gas extraction.

Seeing the potential

Their CDL journey began in 2019, when Sobron, who is also the founder and CEO of Impossible Sensing, the parent company of IS Energy, joined the CDL-Rockies Energy stream with a versatile technology he knew could be applied to various industries.?

Initially, Sobron’s technology was used to detect signs of life on Mars. It was used on NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover to detect complex hydrocarbons on the planet. The technology features proprietary remote sensing capabilities that have supported several projects in the harsh conditions of space.?

“I started thinking, if the goal on Mars is to measure life-building hydrocarbons precisely, and this technology brings the lab to the field on Mars, why can't it do the same on Earth across industries?” he says.?

CDL mentors in the room agreed and even saw areas where his technology could have a major impact—including oilfields. One of those mentors was Scott Saxberg , CEO, Cache Island Corp., who quickly took interest in Sobron during their first meeting through the program.?

At the time, Saxberg was President and CEO of Crescent Point, an oil and gas company predominantly focused on light oil production with a revenue of $1.7 billion.?

“We were trying to solve a problem on three-phase flow in a pipe. When I spoke with Pablo, that was something I thought his technology could try to tackle as a problem,” Saxberg says. “It was really just a glimmer of conversation at the start, but that gave me a good connection with him.”?

Matt Brister, President, Bison Low Carbon Ventures, was another mentor who took an interest in Sobron and his technology.???

“Part of our role as mentors is to help founders identify what may be stopping them from progressing," Brister says. "Pablo had ideas and vision, but needed help with focus, execution and follow through. CDL has lots of people that have the latter, and really appreciate the former."

To the mentors, it was obvious that Sobron was missing an important piece of the puzzle to take his technology to market successfully.??

“A man with solutions but no problem to solve”?

That is when Torre, an engineer working for Precision Drilling at the time, entered the picture.?

Torre had nearly two decades of experience working in oilfields all over the world, and was in the process of optimizing drilling rigs using LIDAR cameras. A mentor introduced him to Sobron, while Sobron was still in the program.?

“My understanding is when [Pablo] was in CDL-Rockies, he was told ‘You are a man with solutions, but no problem to solve, so you need to find someone in the energy sector to help you with that.’ I guess that someone was me,” Torre says.?

“When I talked to Ariel, I thought, this guy can do something,” Sobron says. “To be honest, I didn’t want to be the CEO of an energy company, but I knew my technology could do something in the energy industry. So I asked Ariel to go and figure it out. And he’s killed it.”?

Together, the duo began working towards finishing what Sobron started in the program. By 2021, IS Energy was incorporated, and by December the following year, IS Energy was conducting field tests with the FLOW meter.

Return to Rockies

In 2023, led by Torre, IS Energy was accepted into the CDL-Rockies Energy stream. The objectives were very different than those that Impossible Sensing had set in 2019. Rather than finding a problem to which the solution could be applied, IS Energy was focused on accelerating its growth. Another major difference: Sobron was not in the role of CEO. Instead, Torre took the reigns to steer IS Energy in the direction it needed to go.?

“I showed up to the first session, and then I didn’t show up again,” Sobron says. “Ariel dealt with everything, and he’s done amazing. He’s excelled as a CEO through the program.”

Torre says applying to CDL-Rockies was an easy decision, as he saw first-hand how much it benefitted Sobron and Impossible Sensing.?

“For me, the connections were key. Most mentors and investors within the room are very well connected, which is extremely valuable. Plus, they’re all experienced, meaning they understand the problem you’re solving and the value your product provides. There was a lot of great feedback and learning from experts,” Torre says.?

IS Energy received considerable support from mentors throughout the year, including Saxberg, who worked with the venture through all four sessions and calls it “a game-changer in the industry.”?

“It’s exciting to have made the initial connection with Pablo and Impossible Sensing while I was trying to solve a problem with my former company to – after about five years – actually having a product built and solving that problem with Ariel and IS Energy,” Saxberg says.?

Looking to the future

IS Energy followed in its parent company’s footsteps and successfully graduated from the CDL-Rockies’ 2023/24 Energy stream. But the work for Torre and Sobron is far from over.?

“CDL helped Ariel gain experience and confidence to deliver the next few steps,” Brister, who did not formally mentor Torre in CDL but continues to work with both of IS Energy’s co-founders outside of the program, says. “Now, there needs to be a focus on getting IS Energy properly financed to scale up manufacturing and marketing of the FLOW meter and sell, sell, sell.”

It’s advice Torre says is already in the works.?

“We are completing our first seed round, and we’re going to get out of the basement – literally – and into a manufacturing facility,” Torre says. “Then the next step will be to scale. Hopefully, we will have operations in multiple countries in the coming years.”?

The CDL impact

For the co-founders, CDL has been an invaluable contributor to their success—both with their companies and personally.?

“I will always be in debt to CDL for giving me the exposure to mentors who helped me realize where my strengths are and where they aren’t,” Sobron says.

“As a first-time entrepreneur, there are days that are really good, and there are others where I think nothing is going to work,” Torre says. “Before CDL, I thought I was the only one who felt like this. But hearing from the mentors and other ventures in the program, I realized so many of us are going through this. That really helped in this journey.”?

For them, the CDL journey is one they would encourage other founders to take.

“There are obvious benefits to being in the program,” Torre says. “It’s extremely valuable because you receive feedback from a group of people that has either done it before or will be buying your product, or both.”?

“It's a no-brainer,” Sobron says. “You're going to be in a room full of mentors who are ready to support you through your challenges. And this room will give you more help than you could ever hire.”?