Autocase’ Williams is Automating Business Case Analysis for Investments in Buildings and Infrastructure
I had the pleasure of interviewing John Williams, CEO at Autocase.
John is a serial entrepreneur. His two most successful examples include growing his prior company to nearly $1.6 Billion in annual revenues and Autocase into a leading SaaS company that automates business case analysis for investments in buildings and infrastructure.
Thank you so much for joining us!
I am happy to be with you Jason.
What motivated you to launch your startup?
I saw an opportunity to use a combination of economic analysis and cloud-based computing to change the world. For years there’s been reluctance to invest in green buildings due to a lack of understanding as to what could be expected in return for capital. My partners and I had already come up with a means of measuring the value of “green” using the universally accepted practice of cost benefit analysis (See Sustainable Return On Investment Framework). We encountered one, critical problem. CBA is complex, time consuming, expensive, and only the largest projects could afford it.
We were encouraged by friends at Autodesk, the global design software company, to solve that problem using cloud-based computing. With a $2 Million seed investment from Autodesk, we did just that: the result was the reduction in the cost of CBA to less than 1 percent of traditional custom studies while improving quality and solving problems by making investment-to-investment comparisons. This dramatic increase in quality and efficiency cleared the way to affordable business cases. Autocase makes them accessible to millions of building projects worldwide.
Finally, we were convinced by a combination of confidence in our reputation for economic analysis, support from Autodesk, and awareness of the power of pragmatic data to open doors to high performing buildings. How could we stay on the sidelines while the world needs data justifying low carbon, sustainable, and resilient buildings? There are some things in life that we are called to do, otherwise, they don’t get done. Autocase has done it for $100+B in building investments and that’s just the beginning.
What is it that excites you about what you’re building?
We answer the question facing every investment considered in building design, construction and operations, “why spend money on any specific design feature (i.e., efficient windows, heating and air conditioning, air filtration, lighting, or green roof)?” More importantly, knowing that buildings are responsible for 40 percent of carbon production worldwide, “why spend money trying to reduce carbon from buildings?”
To put it crudely, “what’s in it for me?” Autocase answers these questions for building owners, occupants, and host communities. By revealing the value of benefits coming from design decisions, we create a form of currency that can be exchanged by project stakeholders to the benefit/enrichment of all involved.
What has been your biggest challenge when growing your startup?
We experienced the benefits and curse of being a first mover. We’d invented an approach to business case analysis that had not been available to any but the largest ($500Million) building projects. We had to build awareness and a track record to convince customers to use our data. That process took time and capital to get us past the $100B milepost. Now, we serve top tier players in airports, public agencies, commercial real estate, Big Tech, architecture/engineering and construction companies. Autocase is the go-to company for building performance data industry leaders trust and the fact that these leaders have embraced our data means second and third-tier players view our software as a competitive must-have in order to do business in the building industry. The time and effort required to overcome our early mover curse was more than offset by the competitive moat that formed around the company. That time helped us establish and expand our reputation and track record while we improved our software products and grew our strategic network. With leaders coming to us because they trust our data to compare findings across sectors, we enjoy an advantage even the largest companies envy.
What are your future plans for your startup?
Autocase is well established in the U.S. and Canada. We are also involved in a growing number of advisory engagements around the world. Our plan is to scale Autocase to be the leading provider of automated business case software in the world. In the meantime, we expect to replicate our Autocase success with our carbon management software, Carbonsight (now in beta). Carbonsight was created in conjunction with a Big Tech company to help manage commitments to net zero carbon across portfolios of buildings. Carbonsight is a perfect match for multinational companies facing growing regulatory pressure and customer demands that they do their part to lift society and heal the planet. Right now we are working with owners of large building portfolios to tailor Carbonsight to meet their needs in anticipation of a commercial launch this spring.
I should also mention that we are in the midst of raising capital via the Crowd funding platform, StartEngine. Details can be found on our campaign page at http://www.startengine.com/autocase.
If you had to share, “words of wisdom,” with a Founder who’s about to start their own startup, what would they be?
These words have served us well:
Promises made and promises kept, that’s what our reputation is built upon. Customer confidence grew into partnerships that serve us well.
Hire only the smartest, most collaborative, and trustworthy people. Give them the leadership and tools they need, and the freedom to get the job done together, as a team. Trust them and they will trust you.
Listening leads to product market fit.
How can our readers follow you on social media? https
Co URL Https://www.Autocase.com
Co LinkedIn Https://www.LinkedIn.com/company/impact-infrastructure-inc/mycompany/
Twitter Https://www.twitter.com_autocase Current Crowd Funding Round Https://StartEngine.com/autocase
