The Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator is now in its third year with 10 startups from Alabama, other states and even other countries. Alabama NewsCenter spotlights every company in the 2022 class.
In this startup spotlight, we’ll talk about Idyllo.
Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator 2022: Idyllo from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Company: Idiro
Company origin: washington dc
leadership: Jessica Maginot, Founder and CEO
Alabama NewsCenter: What is your company’s overall focus and mission?
Maginot: Idyllo is building a home improvement marketplace. Our goal is to make it easy for people to find the best products and professionals for their home.
ANC: What inspired you to start this company? How would you like to contribute to the future of energy and technology?
Maginot: Our mission is to create homes that are friendly to people and the environment. In the United States, he has 140 million homes and accounts for 20% of her energy-related GHG emissions. Two-thirds of these homes, or 90 million, are owned and managed by individual households. How we care for our homes has a huge impact on the future of our communities, economies and planet, and every household has a role to play. Our mission is to make it easier for people to get to work, find great partners when they need help, and make great choices for their homes. We are building an engine to accelerate the uptake of cleantech across real estate.
Over the past decade, we have worked with governments and businesses around the world to open up new markets and innovate. I am passionate about rethinking markets and making them work better for more people, and the role that innovation in technology and business models can play in that. I also grew up in a family of architects and engineers, so home improvement has always been in my DNA. Idyllo’s initial impetus was that my experience as a homeowner helped me realize the market opportunity, but ultimately, the business is at the intersection of so many things I care about that I decided to give it a go. I persisted.
ANC: What attracted you to the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator?
Maginot: I used to start and run a consulting firm, and I was a mentor for the program last year, so I got to witness it firsthand. What really captivated me was the leadership and quality of programming. I have worked with several accelerators in the past and Nate (Schmidt), Brooke (Gillis) and the team are really good at what they do. The relationship with Alabama Power and the focus on energy and climate technology was also a big draw. As a consumer business, we knew that getting the right product to the right household, earning trust, and being deeply involved in the community was critical, and Alabama Power would be a great ally in that. . Birmingham is also a great place for us. It’s the real estate market that has seen an influx of growth and investment over the past few years, and that’s our sweet spot.
ANC: What is the number one thing you want potential investors to understand about your company?
Maginot: Americans spend $750 billion annually on home improvement products and services, frustrated with existing market options. From customer discovery and prototyping, he said 90% of consumers and 75% of vendors would like to try our products. The market is ripe for new incumbents and we have an experienced team to execute.
ANC: What do you hope to achieve for your company by participating in the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator?
Maginot: Techstars’ goal is to enter the market and improve its business model to replicate and scale. With the expertise of the Techstars team and the help of the Alabama Power community, we have already achieved that.
ANC: What do you think of Birmingham so far?
Maginot: I love it. I came to the city for the first time for his Techstars and was really impressed. It’s easy to access, has great nearby hikes and rivers to explore, and has a great food scene, all of which are really important to me. It’s also great to dive into the startup and cleantech community here. It’s clear that the investment that Alabama Power and the city are making in fostering the community is paying off. There’s a lot of pride and optimism for the future in this place and it’s exciting to be a part of it.
Idyllo can be found online on LinkedIn and Instagram at idyllo.com.
Alabama NewsCenter highlights Class of 2022 startups participating in Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator.Learn more about Techstars here.
