The potential of any new product is like popcorn. Some pop, some don't. If the timing is right and the right market conditions appear, things can grow fast.
This type of nuanced logic will completely fall flat on the desk of an average bean counter. Neither axis asks the a priori question: what does failure cost?
The point wasn't reach. The point was that Bob from Nebraska knew more about injector pumps than anybody else alive. The internet gave you access to Bob.
Most projects don't fail because the idea is a bad one. They fail because the bulk cost in time, cash and energy is not worth the effort and the attrition.
Time is a design variable. Time is a dimension in which mistakes are discovered. So you design for the moment that someone says: "We need to change this."