5 Unconventional Go-to-Market Lessons from Copper Labs’ Grid Modernization Journey

Selling to conservative industries isn’t just about patience – it’s about turning their inherent constraints into strategic advantages. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Dan Forman shared how Copper Labs is rewriting the grid modernization playbook by embracing the very challenges that keep most startups away from the utility sector.

1. Make Regulatory Compliance a Strategic Advantage

While most startups view regulatory requirements as obstacles, Copper Labs transformed them into opportunities. “When regulators are mandating that northeast utilities, for example, engage in behavioral gas demand management during winter peaks, we’re really one of the only people that can help them to do that,” Dan explained.

This insight led to an unconventional move for a Series A startup: investing heavily in regulatory affairs. “For a startup of our size to have to invest so heavily in doing things like that is atypical. You wouldn’t do that in most markets, but in a regulated utility market, it’s table stakes,” Dan noted. By engaging directly with regulators, they created demand pull-through that bypassed traditional sales cycles.

2. Transform Industry Conservatism into Sales Leverage

Instead of fighting against the utility sector’s risk-averse nature, Copper Labs leveraged it. “A lot of what needs to take place in this market in particular is just staying around long enough because these utilities are risk averse. They don’t want to go and pick the flashy new startup that’s come around. They want to work with somebody that’s been around for a while,” Dan shared.

Their solution? Ubiquitous presence. This year alone, they’ve attended 26 conferences, leading to a powerful market perception: “The anecdote coming back has been Copper’s everywhere. We’re seeing you everywhere.”

3. Use Non-Competition to Your Advantage

In most markets, getting customers to share success stories is a constant challenge. But Copper Labs discovered a unique dynamic in the utility sector: “The interesting dynamic with utilities is they don’t compete with each other for the most part,” Dan explained. This insight transformed their case study strategy.

“If Xcel Energy, or in our case National Grid, can deploy something that demonstrates them being innovative, solving some problem in a new or efficient way, they really like to raise their hand on that and share it with the market,” Dan revealed. This dynamic turned customer success stories into powerful sales tools.

4. Master the Art of “Respectful Provocation”

Challenging industry assumptions without alienating potential customers requires a delicate balance. Dan describes their approach as “respectfully provocative,” illustrated by their Valentine’s Day article “Falling Out of Love with AMI” – the highest-performing piece on a major industry site in two years.

The key question they grappled with: “How do you call BS on something that needs it without making the people that bought into their story seem like they’re part of the problem?” This balance between provocation and respect has become central to their marketing strategy.

5. Focus on Narrative Shift Over Product Features

Rather than just selling technology, Copper Labs is working to fundamentally change how the industry thinks about grid modernization. “The theme is more interesting. That’s basically what we’re trying to say to the market, is that we’ve all been marching in the same direction for a long time. It hasn’t worked. We’ve got new problems to solve,” Dan explained.

This approach moves beyond feature comparisons to address fundamental industry challenges: “If you think about the electric grid here in the US, we have more outages than any developed country in the world. On the water side, we’re wasting something like 900 billion gallons a year just through easily addressable residential water leaks.”

The Broader Implications

These lessons extend beyond the utility sector. For founders targeting conservative industries, the key insight is that market constraints often contain the seeds of competitive advantage. Rather than trying to force-fit standard startup playbooks, success comes from understanding and leveraging industry-specific dynamics.

As Dan summarized their mission: “I want Copper to be the company that helped prepare the utilities and this broader industry for that coming change.” It’s a reminder that sometimes the most effective go-to-market strategy isn’t about fighting the system – it’s about understanding it deeply enough to make it work in your favor.