Maren-Go Bridges Commercial Tech to Military Airfields

Maren‑Go’s mission is clear: “Make the Smart Airfield possible.” The company provides an end-to-end “airfield operating system,” leveraging AI and autonomous vehicles to automate routine but critical airfield tasks — from foreign object debris detection and wildlife mitigation to perimeter security, mowing, plowing, and maintenance-crew deliveries.

A former Brown Bag presenter at JBLM and an SBIR Phase I and II awardee, Maren-Go has now transitioned from concept to operational impact, with its autonomous airfield platform installed and running on contract at NAS Whidbey’s Outer Landing Field. This milestone not only showcases the company’s vision of becoming the airfield’s operating system, but also reflects the power of strong regional partnerships, like PNW Tech Bridge, in accelerating technology from prototype to mission-ready capability.

 

We caught up with Chris Thobaben, Maren-Go’s CEO, for a Q&A session that captures the company’s journey, insights, and lessons learned along the road to successful transition.

Q. Can you share a bit about how Maren-Go came to be, and what inspired the mission of being “the airfield’s operating system”?

Our founding team came together to ensure our warfighters could access the latest commercial technologies necessary to maintain a strategic advantage. We initially focused on platform-agnostic software to control attritable drones, which opened up a portfolio of commercial-space invention. We have since focused that software architecture and vision down to the ground to create the “airfield’s operating system.” This platform allows for any sensor or autonomous system to be rapidly deployed across an airfield, supporting routine tasks while strictly complying with the specific airfield’s rules and procedures.

Q. In working with DoD or dual-use applications, how do you balance the very high safety and reliability standards with innovation speed?

We start with a foundation of cybersecurity and a safety-first mindset in our software designs. We recognize that autonomy can be intimidating, placing the burden on us to build trust with users. Our fully autonomous systems are designed to err on the side of safety—prioritizing avoidance and communication—to mitigate the risk of damage or injury. This safety-first foundation ensures that our designs perform reliably and predictably, which in turn allows us to test easily and frequently. This rapid, repeatable testing, combined with modular hardware and control designs, means we can quickly integrate the latest innovative technologies from the commercial space, fulfilling our original goal of speed and cutting-edge performance.

Q. What are the broader implications of automating these tasks (foreign object detection, wildlife mitigation, mowing/plowing) for workforce, safety and operations?

By focusing on dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks, we are able to not only perform essential operations but also do them with greater persistence and predictability than human teams. This consistency results in fewer human errors, which are often the cause of injury and damage from boredom or complacency. Furthermore, persistent sensor and robotic deployment directly addresses ongoing threats like FOD and wildlife incursions. Automating these tasks fundamentally improves safety for personnel and assets while simultaneously increasing the quality and readiness of core operations.

Q. How has partnership with Northwest Tech Bridge influenced your trajectory?

The Northwest Tech Bridge has been a critical partner, offering us vital context regarding leadership priorities and operational environments. This insight significantly improved the initial quality of our deployment, allowing us to enter the field and start supporting the warfighter much sooner than we otherwise could have.

Q. As a company that’s gone from SBIR Phase I and II to an active installation at NAS Whidbey’s Outer Landing Field, what does that transition represent for you?

This transition represents our success in bridging the “Valley of Death.” We are now able to offer a verifiable, replicable use case that significantly de-risks adoption for commanders. Leaders who are already facing complex mission challenges no longer have to be the first to take on a high-risk technology. We can now demonstrate the platform’s impact on readiness and efficiency in a real-world setting, moving beyond hypothetical or imperfect test environments.

Q. What lessons learned would you share with other innovators hoping to move from an SBIR award to a full contract and operational site?

It is absolutely critical to have end-user support and to understand their problems before ever presenting a solution. We initially focused on autonomous drone delivery on the airfield, but end-users quickly approached us with a more foundational problem—FOD walks—and asked us to demonstrate a FOD collection mission with simply towing a FOD boss. Had we been too focused on our original solution, we would have missed the core task that provided our entry point. This willingness to adapt to end-user requirements is essential for earning trust with leadership, which goes a long way toward securing investment and a full contract.

Q. What potential do you see for Maren-Go’s platform beyond military airfields — for example, in commercial aviation or industrial logistics?

We see enormous opportunities across the civil aviation space to dramatically increase operational efficiency and effectiveness. This ranges from simple tasks like tug operations and baggage handling to complex ones like snow removal and glycol recovery. Our platform’s ability to introduce consistency and control into these tightly orchestrated systems is its core value. As we engage with airlines and airfield managers, we will better understand their specific bottlenecks and adopt our system to address those pain points.

Maren-Go’s journey from early SBIR exploration to an active, mission-supporting platform at NAS Whidbey’s Outer Landing Field underscores what’s possible when innovative technology, user-driven design, and strong regional partnerships align. As the company continues to refine its autonomous airfield operating system and expand into new mission sets, its trajectory reflects a broader shift toward smarter, safer, and more resilient airfield operations across both defense and commercial domains. With momentum behind them and real-world impact already demonstrated, Maren-Go is poised to help shape the future of airfield autonomy, one operational win at a time.