Molecule (2nd Place 2013) - Update and Advice for 2015 Finalists

By  Sameer Soleja, CEO and Founder

It was really exciting for our team, getting invited to present at SXSW at HATCH pitch 2013, and to see that teams around the country were chosen.  We were really flattered to be able to be there.  We were initially a little trepidatious about it.  We knew some of the judges could be very tough.  We were not sure whether the judges or the audience would understand the niche for the energy space we were in.  Fortunately for us, we were able to simplify the message such that we got the point across, so even judges not in this space recognized the significant opportunity.   We framed our company in the energy independence space and described ourselves in that way and it really resonated with them.

After HATCH pitch, we achieved our goal of making good connections with the folks on the west coast, and had follow-up conversations when we were there later in the summer.  Over the course of the next 9 months or so, we completed the first version of our product, landed our first enterprise customer and raised about $750,000 in funding.

The best advice I can offer to the 2015 finalists:   Know the judges and the audience and what they understand well, and craft your message so that it will resonate with them.  Have a blast -  you are presenting at SXSW, it doesn’t get any better than that!

We have a lot planned this year.  Right now we are heads down working with a lot of new customers on our new platform.  There will be a lot of new features coming out this year, things that will make the jobs of people who use our software fundamentally different.

We look forward to being at SXSW 2015 and cheering on HATCH pitch 2015 finalists!  Tweet us @wearemolecule to stay in touch.