Oil & Gas Innovation Summer 2020 Digital | Page 36

EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION
From Your Mind to Market
Oil and Gas Innovation sits down with Bjørn Brekne, Petroleum Technologist and Business Developer,
of Bebekon AS to learn more about what it takes to get a great idea to market, and turn it into a successful
business. Many issues arise for a new startup, often unforeseen, so it can be quite useful, even essential
for such a company to gain the knowledge and experience from a consultant such as Mr Brekne. We
delve deeper into these issues, to help inform how to mitigate risk factors and costs, and make sure you
are prepared for the road ahead.
OGI: Could you start by explaining Bebekon
AS’ credentials and experience in terms of your
products and services for the oil and gas sector?
Could you tell our readers the breadth of your
experience, how long the company has been
active, and its reach?
Bebekon: The Norwegian company, Bebekon
AS, has been operating its current model since
2008 and has participated in several innovation
enhancement, idea captures, incubator and
business development projects. Bebekon offers
small, medium, and big O&G related companies,
its commercializing experiences gained as
innovation manager and business developer for
a major O&G company.
The founder and only employee holds a
more than 40 years old degree in petroleum
engineering. Broad experience from all
segments of the industry, gives Bebekon the
overall picture in evaluating idea potentials.
Seed funds and private equity players, all values
experiences when making decisions.
The skill of early pinpointing and idea’s
potential often allows Bebekon to work on “no
cure, no pay” basis.
OGI: What are some of the difficulties that
companies face when trying to bring a new
product to market?
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Bebekon: Say you have secured funding and
the development goes well; the product will
do no good without piloting. Finding the
first user is often more difficult than finding
investors. Have an oil company to see the
potential in investing. If so, it is in their
interest to contribute to the industrialization,
by being the first user.
The costs offshore are high, so is the risk. That
is why operators hesitate to implement “not
proven” technology. A big hurdle: If no one
dare to take the risk, the technology will never
be proven and will never come to use. This is a
contradiction the industry needs to fight:
“What comes first, the hen or the egg…”
If the innovation is disruptive, the chance of
implementation is low: The industry has lost
“an ocean” of opportunities. It is said that the
offshore business is conservative, that is true,
but it is actually the risk-allergy that is ruling.
Sometimes it only takes one person’s disbelief
to stop implementing ground breaking
technology innovation. If technology decision
makers do not feel involved from the start,
they may fight the idea on principle basis.
OGI: What are the different areas (sectors)
that Bebekon assists companies with, and
could you give examples
Bebekon: Drilling and well technology are
closest to home. Even though, Bebekon has
advised innovation projects all the way from
up- to down-stream to land.
Lately, material technology has taken some
time; composites: Replacing steel subsea and
downhole with composites.
Composite shields to protect flowlines,
hoses and cables on the sea bottom is a new
ongoing product category. A new trend, or
more correctly, a reestablished trend, is to
implement composite in the well design,
particularly for deep waters.
Oil companies have long focused on green
technology and work procedures. Bebekon
assists a multi inventor in his effort to
remedy implementing a cost effective, safer
and environmentally friendly, digital and
automated way to transfer and dispose high
viscous oil contaminated drill cuttings.
OGI: Could you talk about the resistance