Discover some of the common questions our customers have been curious about
Here are a few frequently asked questions that you might find helpful. Please feel free to reach out if you would like to discuss details.
For Startups
These are questions startups in sustainable materials and chemicals may have before deciding to work together.
We help companies in sustainable materials and chemicals with sales and marketing. This typically means generating leads and shortening sales cycles to help scale revenue. Our team is doing outreach, creating content, and optimizing the sales process through SOP's and automations.
Typically, the companies we work with are venture-backed or private equity-backed.
We find that companies are a great fit when they are:
- Post Series A
- Post Product-Market Fit
- Team of 20+ employees
- (At least) a medium sized supply chain.
Companies smaller than this typically can not benefit as much from scaling marketing and sales. If companies only have 50 pounds of sample materials, generating more leads is just clogging the toilet. Companies need to get into commercial applications before scaling their marketing and sales operations.
We give away a lot of free information. We often make introductions even if a company is too small to work with us. We have lived the startup life many times over again, so we understand where you are coming from.
Email us at hello@altlaboratories.com to see if and how we might be able to support you.
Companies that are producing sustainable materials and chemicals should look for support from people who have been there and done that. We have been marketing and selling sustainable materials for 5+ years. We have failed more than most people have even tried. We have developed our systems based on what we know doesn't work.
Often times, sustainable materials and chemicals companies are run by technical founders. These founders need someone with marketing and sales expertise in their niche who truly understands the struggle. Hiring a traditional sales or marketing agency means you will be paying people to learn how difficult it is to sell your product. We know how difficult this is, so we built our systems to streamline the unique problems people face when trying to market and sell sustainable materials and chemicals.
For Large Corporations
These are questions large manufacturers and chemical companies may have before deciding to work together.
We support large brands and suppliers by helping them efficiently find, test, and commercialize sustainable materials and chemicals. Typically this process takes years and costs millions. We work with large companies to find sustainable alternatives that can quickly reduce Scope 3 Carbon Emissions without compromising cost or performance.
Our goal is to help large brands and suppliers save years and millions in the process of commercializing sustainable materials and chemicals.
Most large brands and suppliers have set targets to reduce their Scope 3 Carbon Emissions by 20%+ by 2030. Typically, it can take 5+ years to commercialize a sustainable material or chemical (depending on what industry you are in). This means you should have started yesterday.
Oftentimes, brands and suppliers will say that they can not start reducing decarbonizing their Scope 3 Emissions til they have a proper calculation. This is total BS. You don't need perfect data to start making good decisions. If you are using virgin petrochemicals, you can start integrating sustainable alternatives today.
This will depend if you are a supplier (B2B) or a brand owner (B2C). Marketing and selling sustainable products can be walking a tight rope. There are watchdog groups that are looking out for greenwashing. On the flip side, there are many manufacturers and chemical companies that are greenhushing (by hiding the sustainable innovations they make to prevent backlash and scrutiny).
A safe way to market sustainable products is to only make claims that have been validated by 3rd parties. Please reach out to our team to discuss how to properly market sustainable products. This requires a thorough understanding of your industry, your customer, your supply chain, and your raw materials.
This is the chicken and the egg conundrum. Chemical companies and suppliers want to wait to create sustainable innovations til brand owners raise their hands and ask for it. Brand owners want to wait til customers (or competitors) make a move towards sustainable products.
If there is one thing that is clear, it's that there will be a graveyard of companies that did not transition to sustainable alternatives. They will eventually get out competed by others in their industry.
Sustainable products are only as good as the marketing and sales strategies that support them. You can have the best sustainable innovation on the planet, but without the right go-to-market strategy, it's just another innovation in a crowded (and noisy) market.
For Investors
These are questions that investors are asking our team.
We partner with venture capital (and CVC's) that are interested in sustainable materials and chemicals.
After these investors put money into a company, they should want the portfolio company to be focused on scaling revenue. This gives the portfolio company the best chance on an increased valuation when they go back out to the capital markets.
If an increased valuation is the focus of a venture-backed company, the best use of funds is to scale marketing and sales.
The best thing an investor can offer a portfolio company (besides cash) is relationships. The two most valuable relationships an investor can provide is customers, or experts who can help the portfolio company find more customers.
I was hoping you were going to tell me. 🙃
Just kidding. There are definitely clear signals. Just because sustainable materials or chemicals company has big name investors does not mean they will be successful. Things like raving fan customers, and intellectual property that creates a moat, are clear signs a company is on to something great. Email us at hello@altlaboratories.com to discuss details.