The Accure Story: When COVID Became a Startup Advantage

June 2020 might seem like the worst possible time to start a company. But for Accure Battery Intelligence, the global pandemic created unexpected advantages that accelerated their path to market. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, founder Kai-Philipp Kairies shared how they turned lockdown constraints into startup momentum.

The Counterintuitive Launch

When asked if launching during COVID was challenging, Kai’s response was surprising: “Actually, yes. It gave us something to do during the lockdown. So the entire team was hyper committed because there just wasn’t anything else to do.”

For Kai personally, the lockdown provided an unexpected gift: “COVID, for me, for a lot of people, especially with kids, COVID was a really traumatic time where for me, it was an open invitation to dedicate all my time on something that I love.”

From Constraint to Catalyst

This intense focus proved crucial when Accure landed their first major contract. “We were quite open about the timelines that it would take a few months. But you can imagine just starting a company where, like, five people, we’ve got this massive contract, and now we’ve got a deadline that we’re running against.”

The lockdown environment helped them meet this challenge: “COVID really was helpful, because that way we could dedicate, like, 18 hours a day to developing a product.”

Building the Core Product

This concentrated development time allowed Accure to build sophisticated technology quickly: “What we do is we analyze data that is produced by batteries during their operation. Voltage, current, temperature. We have some quite sophisticated physics based and machine learning models in the cloud that can ingest that data and then tell owners and operators of these systems if a battery is safe or if it will blow up in a week or two.”

The Technical Dream Team

The lockdown enabled Accure to assemble a uniquely qualified team: “Our CTO, George, has a PhD on aging behavior of batteries, our COO, Hano has a PhD in thermodynamics, and I have a PhD on battery usage in the grid.”

This technical depth, combined with focused development time, allowed them to build something truly differentiated: “At Accure, we have some of the most talented, dedicated battery people in the world together… Companies that work with us are guaranteed to work with people that are the best on the planet.”

Market Education During Lockdown

The pandemic period also gave Accure time to invest in market education. “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 foundational work paid off as the market matured: “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.”

Lessons for Founders

Accure’s COVID launch strategy offers several insights for founders facing constraints:

1. Use limitations to force focus and commitment
2. Take advantage of reduced distractions for intensive development
3. Invest extra time in market education and positioning
4. Build deep expertise when the market isn’t ready for rapid sales
5. Use constraints to strengthen team cohesion

While the pandemic created enormous challenges for many businesses, Accure’s story shows how constraints can sometimes become advantages. By embracing the forced focus of lockdown, they turned what could have been a liability into an asset for product development and team building.

The key was recognizing that sometimes, limitations can create unexpected opportunities for depth and focus that might not be possible in normal circumstances. For technical founders especially, having uninterrupted time for deep work can be invaluable in the early stages of company building.