Manik Suri.
I’m Manik Suri, the Founder and CEO of GlacierGrid (formerly known as Therma°). My work is driven by a profound mission—to combat climate change by reducing energy use, food waste, and refrigerant leakage across the global cooling sector. Before embarking on the GlacierGrid journey, I co-founded the Governance Lab (GovLab), an innovation center at NYU dedicated to developing technology solutions to improve governance and the public sector. My commitment to innovation for impact began to take root in our work launching the GovLab.
Company:
GlacierGrid
Location:
San Francisco, California, United States
Funding:
$30M Raised
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Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Manik Suri, CEO and Founder of GlacierGrid (formerly known as Therma°), a cooling intelligence platform that has raised over $30 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:

Five takeaways from this conversation.

Actionable for Clean Energy & Climate Tech founders

  1. Leverage Founder's Passion in Pitching and Sales
    Manik's personal journey and transition from law and government into tech underscores the power of a founder's passion and backstory in engaging potential customers and investors. For B2B tech founders, weaving personal conviction and the startup's origin story into pitches can significantly enhance credibility and emotional resonance with the audience.
  2. Identify and Solve Underappreciated Problems
    GlacierGrid addresses the largely overlooked issue of inefficient cooling systems, a sector responsible for 8% of global warming. B2B tech founders should look for similar underappreciated or niche problems where technology can drive substantial change, often hidden in plain sight within industries.
  3. Adopt a Hands-on Approach to Customer Acquisition
    Manik's strategy of personally visiting states and potential clients showcases the effectiveness of a direct, hands-on approach to customer acquisition, especially in the early stages. This strategy can be particularly compelling in sectors resistant to change, as it allows founders to directly address concerns and demonstrate value.
  4. Utilize IoT and Data Analytics for Operational Efficiency
    GlacierGrid's use of IoT sensors and data analytics to improve cooling efficiency highlights the potential for technology to transform traditional industries. Founders should explore how IoT and analytics can be applied in their sectors to solve complex problems, improve sustainability, and reduce operational costs.
  5. Storytelling as a Key Tool in Fundraising and Marketing
    Manik's emphasis on storytelling in both fundraising and marketing activities underlines its importance in conveying the startup's vision and the problem it solves. B2B tech founders should develop compelling narratives around their products, focusing on the impact, to engage both investors and potential customers effectively.