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Highlights
When Technical Expertise Isn’t Enough: How Accure’s Founder Learned to Build a Scalable Battery Analytics Business
Most technical founders face a stark reality: deep expertise in your field doesn’t automatically translate to business success. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Kai-Philipp Kairies shared how he transformed his decade of battery research experience into Accure Battery Intelligence, offering critical insights for technical founders navigating similar challenges.
The Pivot from Research to Product
As the leader of one of the world’s largest research groups on grid-connected battery systems, Kai saw firsthand how the exponential growth in battery deployment created massive operational challenges. But translating that insight into a viable business wasn’t straightforward.
The company’s early advantage came from Kai’s deep network in the industry. “The first contracts that we got, the first one, and then also the next three or four ones, they all came from my network,” Kai explains. “So it was people that I had a relationship with that trusted me, and that most of them had worked in other situations with me or my team before.”
Learning to Speak Business
Despite having world-class technical expertise, Accure initially struggled to raise capital. The breakthrough came when one venture capitalist took Kai aside and offered crucial guidance: “Can we please sit down for 2 hours to fine tune your pitch? And then I can bring it to my investment committee, but as it is right now, they would laugh me out.”
The experience taught Kai a valuable lesson about the gap between technical and business communication: “Just imagine it’s just Accure is we’ve got a number of founders, but like three full time main founders, and we all got a PhD in some really nerdy topics… The three of these people will not come up with crisp language when describing what they do at day one.”
The Discipline of Focus
Perhaps the most critical lesson for technical founders is the importance of maintaining focus despite tempting opportunities. As Kai explains: “We do battery analytics in general. We could improve every battery around, right, from micro mobility scooters toys at home, to high end cars, to batteries and airplanes in ships.”
This breadth of possibility creates a dangerous trap: “As a Founder, it is so tempting to take up every customer that’s interested in you… Someone else is going to do it better than you. The first years of a Founder of a young company is basically justifying that you exist.”
The slippery slope begins with small compromises: “It’s not that much of a change. It’s just like 20% difference… And after seven or eight of those customers, you’re basically a consultancy and no longer a product company. And that’s really what can kill your company.”
Building a Scalable Sales Motion
For technical founders, letting go of sales can be particularly challenging. Kai describes the common trap: “As CEO Founder, your responsibility is to make the company successful. So there’s this very big incentive to involve yourself in sales… Because you need to get that deal and you’re probably the most qualified person.”
The key is starting the transition earlier than necessary: “If you only start to transfer your responsibilities to a team when you hit the limit of your own hours in a week, it’ll be too late. They won’t have the time to find their feet.”
This means accepting short-term pain for long-term scalability: “In the beginning it’s worse. The results are worse than you just going out and doing it yourself. And the temptation to just go back to do it yourself is so high.”
Market Education as Strategy
Rather than immediately trying to sell, Accure invested in educating their market about battery analytics. This approach paid off as the industry matured: “Three or four years ago they didn’t [know about battery analytics]. And I believe that we’re a part of this education of the market.”
This strategic patience aligned with market evolution: “Now, as these batteries become a vital part of their business, all of a sudden performance safety lifetime really matters… they’re much more open to solutions.”
For technical founders building deep tech companies, Kai’s journey demonstrates that success often requires equal attention to business fundamentals as technical excellence. The key is recognizing these business capabilities as crucial engineering challenges in their own right, deserving the same rigorous attention as product development.
Actionable
Takeaways
Leverage Deep Industry Expertise for Start-Up Foundation:
Utilize your deep domain knowledge to identify unique industry pain points. This serves as a competitive advantage in developing solutions that address unmet needs within your field.
Utilize Personal Networks for Early Traction:
Early contracts and successes often stem from established connections. Leverage these relationships to gain initial validation, crucial feedback, and your first set of customers, reinforcing the importance of trust in early-stage ventures.
Communicate Complex Solutions Simply:
Transitioning from technical jargon to clear, accessible messaging is essential for broader market acceptance. Collaborate with marketing experts or seek feedback from diverse audiences to refine your value proposition into something easily understood.
Focus on a Niche Customer Segment:
Specializing in a specific market segment where your solution can excel is key. Concentrating efforts on a targeted group enables a deeper understanding of their needs and positions your product as the go-to solution in that niche.
Transition From Founder-led Sales to Ensure Scalability:
Early transition from founder-led sales to a dedicated team is crucial for sustainable growth. This process allows the company to scale beyond the founder's personal capacity while fostering a sales operation that can thrive independently.
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