How EM1 Used Pursuit to Break Into Public Sector Sales and Scale Faster
Selling to the public sector is a challenge even for experienced entrepreneurs. Long sales cycles, complex procurement processes, and navigating government decision-making can feel like an uphill battle. For early-stage GovTech companies, the challenge is even greater—where do you even start?
I sat down with Tyler Felous, Co-Founder & CEO of EM1, to discuss how he approached breaking into the government market, what it took to land his first customers, and how Pursuit helped him accelerate conversations and drive revenue from day one.
If you’re looking to scale faster in public sector sales, this is a must-read.
Finding the Right Problem to Solve in GovTech
After a successful exit with his previous company, Tyler had plenty of options for his next venture. He knew he wanted to tackle a problem that was not only significant but also growing over time.
Emergency management quickly emerged as the right space. The increasing frequency of disasters—wildfires, floods, hurricanes—meant there was a long-term need for better solutions. But the real turning point came when he met emergency managers and saw firsthand how overworked and under-resourced they were.
The demand was clear. The next step? Finding a way to reach decision-makers and validate his idea.
"There’s this perception that government employees don’t work that hard, but I met emergency managers who were in the office every weekend, running 24/7 call centers, and dealing with crisis after crisis. Their workload was growing, and they needed better tools."
How EM1 Used Pursuit to Get in Front of the Right Buyers
One of the hardest parts of launching a GovTech startup is figuring out who to talk to. Unlike other industries where buyer roles are well-defined, government job titles can be ambiguous, and responsibilities often overlap.
Tyler had no network in emergency management. He didn’t even know how many of these offices existed across the country. Instead of spending months manually researching agencies and contacts, he turned to Pursuit to instantly map out the market.
With Pursuit, EM1 was able to:
- Identify every agency involved in emergency management across different levels of government.
- Pinpoint key decision-makers and understand their roles beyond just job titles.
- Automate outreach, making cold emails and calls more efficient.
Instead of spending months trying to find the right people, Pursuit allowed EM1 to immediately connect with the agencies and leaders who mattered most.
"I literally knew no one in this space. But Pursuit gave me instant access to thousands of emergency managers and agencies across the country. It took me from zero to meaningful conversations immediately."
Cold Outreach That Actually Works in Government Sales
Most GovTech companies rely on warm introductions to get their first customers. But Tyler knew he couldn’t afford to rely only on his network—he needed a scalable way to generate meetings.
With Pursuit’s intelligent prospecting tools, Intel and Radar, EM1 built a data-driven cold outreach strategy that combined:
- Cold Emails – Using Pursuit to create highly targeted lists and automated email sequences.
- Cold Calls – Prioritizing contacts who engaged with emails for higher conversion rates.
- Warm Intros – Leveraging connections where possible, but not depending on them.
These results far outperformed industry standards for public sector sales, proving that a well-targeted cold outreach strategy can work—even in GovTech.
"We sent nearly 7,500 emails. Half got opened, 10% got clicked, 10% replied, and about 1% booked a meeting. Cold calling, though, had a 30% connection rate—and 20% of those calls turned into meetings."
Building a Repeatable Sales Process from Day One
Many startups make the mistake of waiting until they have product-market fit before building a structured sales process. EM1 took the opposite approach. Before even having a finished product, Tyler built an outbound engine using Pursuit and HubSpot.
- Pursuit provided the contacts and intelligence—who to target, when to reach out, and what to say.
- HubSpot automated follow-ups and tracked engagement—emails, calls, and meetings all fed into a structured pipeline.
- Data-driven prioritization ensured reps focused on high-potential leads instead of wasting time on unqualified prospects.
This approach gave EM1 an unfair advantage—they weren’t just guessing where to sell, they had a structured process that allowed them to learn fast and scale efficiently.
"Pursuit fed contacts straight into HubSpot, which triggered automated email sequences. I tracked engagement and prioritized follow-ups based on who opened or clicked. The entire process was built for efficiency."
What’s Next for EM1?
EM1’s long-term vision is to become an all-in-one emergency management solution, covering everything from preparedness and response to recovery. Today, emergency managers use disconnected systems for situational awareness, incident management, mass notification, and reimbursement tracking. EM1 aims to bring all of these into a single, seamless platform.
For now, the focus is on expanding their presence in preparedness and mitigation—areas where every emergency office is actively engaged, even when a disaster isn’t happening. By solving everyday problems first, they’re building trust with agencies, making it easier to expand into other areas over time.
Lessons for Any GovTech Startup or Public Sector Sales Team
EM1’s journey offers a blueprint for how to break into public sector sales quickly and efficiently. The key takeaways:
- Don’t waste months researching—use data to map your market immediately.
- Cold outreach works if it’s targeted—email, call, and track engagement.
- Build a repeatable sales process early—automation and structured prospecting save time.
- Use AI-driven insights to prioritize high-value agencies and opportunities.
Pursuit played a critical role in helping EM1 find their buyers, automate outreach, and scale faster than a typical GovTech startup.
If you’re looking to break into public sector sales or accelerate your revenue growth, Pursuit can help. Let's talk.
