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Conversation
Highlights
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 Martin Langelo Lien, CEO & Co-Founder of Volt, a messaging ops infrastructure platform that has raised over $6 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Identifying the Problem: Volt was born out of Martin’s personal experience running an SMS marketing company, where he encountered the inefficiencies of managing messaging infrastructure, inspiring him to build Volt.
- Capitalizing on Industry Shifts: The introduction of 10DLC regulations in the SMS space created a compliance burden, providing the perfect opportunity for Volt to offer a streamlined solution to an industry-wide problem.
- Pivoting the Product: Initially focused on analytics, Volt quickly realized that solving the core problem was more valuable than just identifying it, leading to a shift towards a more robust infrastructure solution.
- First-Mover Advantage: Being the first to address the unique challenges of SMS compliance gave Volt a significant edge, with early adopters eager to solve a problem that few others were addressing.
- Category Creation as a Strategy: Martin emphasizes that Volt is more focused on creating a new category—messaging ops—than just building a company, ensuring a long-term, defensible market position.
- Zero-Dollar Marketing Strategy: Volt has achieved significant growth without spending on marketing, relying instead on targeted outreach through LinkedIn and leveraging the pain points of potential customers.
Actionable
Takeaways
Focus on the Core Problem:
When creating a category, ensure your solution directly addresses the most critical pain points, and be willing to pivot if your initial product doesn’t fully solve the problem.
Leverage Industry Changes:
Keep an eye on regulatory shifts and other external factors that can create opportunities for new products or categories, as these often present a first-mover advantage.
Educate the Market:
Building a new category requires educating both customers and partners about the new status quo, which can be just as crucial as the product itself.
Build Partnerships, Not Competitors:
Collaborate with existing players in the industry to enhance your category’s credibility and reach, rather than viewing them solely as competition.
Involve the Entire Team in Category Design:
Ensure every team member understands and contributes to the category creation strategy, fostering alignment and maximizing impact across the organization.
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