Turning Complexity into a Market-Ready product for an AI-Driven Retrofit SaaS

Ivynest [ cleantech, proptech ]
london, uk

About
Ivynest is a UK SaaS that uses AI to guide homeowners and landlords through end-to-end retrofit upgrades, saving energy costs, and improving property value.

[ SUMMARY ]

Challenge

When a British homeowner looks at their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), a measure of a home's energy efficiency, it's just a letter C, D, or F. But that simple letter hides a wall of confusion: Which renovations actually matter? How do you find a reliable contractor, and finance the whole project?

The UK retrofit market is fragmented, with no single provider guiding the full journey. Ivynest set out to change this with one of the first AI-driven instant EPC assessments combined with tailored retrofit plans, financing guidance, and contractor coordination

The challenge was to turn a deeply technical, multi-step idea into a clear, human experience, with limited startup resources and no existing playbook.

The Goal

Ivynest needed a clear, approachable brand and GTM ( beta launch) that could translate complexity into trust, drive demos, and support investment readiness.

Outcome

I built the positioning, messaging, UX narrative, and outbound GTM foundations that positioned Ivynest as a clear, differentiated platform in the UK CleanTech market.

This end-to-end work reduced operational costs by up to 65% in under eight months, enabled functional demos and early traction, unlocked partnerships with clean energy and financial companies, and supported Ivynest’s progression into competitive investment programs such as The Ventures.

65%

REDUCTION IN OPERATING COSTS
AND SOFTWARE OPTIMIZATION

+30

DEMOS PERFORMED POST-LAUNCH WITH A FUNCTIONAL APP

+6

PARTNERSHIPS FACILITATED WITH  ENERGY AND FINANCIAL COMPANIES
[ Story ]

Ivynest entered a market where homeowners were expected to understand a maze of EPC ratings, renovation priorities, contractors, grants, and financing.

The opportunity was big, but so was the friction: no digital player owned the full retrofit journey, and no one had turned the EPC process into something simple, actionable, and trustworthy.

Ivynest believed that with AI, the right data, and the right structure, homeowners could finally get clarity on their EPC rating and the upgrades they actually needed. But the idea was raw, complex, and difficult to communicate.

To launch, Ivynest needed a cohesive brand, a communication that guide the user during the a multi-step process.

My role

I joined to bring structure, narrative, and user understanding. My first step was simplifying the promise: give homeowners clarity, control, and a plan, not jargon. I mapped what the product needed to communicate, to whom, and how to make the benefits feel tangible (lower bills, higher comfort, better long-term value).

A Market Too Complex for Homeowners

The Strategic Approach: 4 Layers

Refining Value propostion
Positioning & Messaging
feature mapping & ux
GTM & ENABLEMENT
[ The Approach ]

To take Ivynest from an early concept to a launch-ready brand, with limited time and budget, I built the foundation across four core layers:

1. Refining Value Proposition

I analyzed the UK retrofit market, mapped digital competitors, identified different target segments, and positioned Ivynest away as a Intelligent End-to-End Retrofit Platform. A space where the homeowners get instant EPC assessment and transparency in every step until the retrofit project is completed.

For investors, I redesigned strategic problem by mapping relevant hierarchy of pains:

  • 50% of UK homes need urgent retrofit upgrades

    • Regulatory pressure is rising.

    • The process is fragmented and overwhelming.

    • Unreliable installers mean overspending and delays.

    • Grant access is confusing.

This turned a messy problem into a clear break-down opportunity with emotional and financial urgency.

2. Positioning & Messaging

I built the brand from the inside out:

  • Messaging across identified ICPs. (homeowners, landlords, property managers, retrofit partners).

  • Tone: professional, transparent, results-focused.

  • Coordination of the Umbrella architecture for 4 brands: (Nestia, Ivynest, Regenest, Equinest).

  • SEO Content and copy across website + app.

  • Owned the content strategy and UX narrative to support trust and conversion.

  • Sales enablement materiales for partners, agents and investors.

This created a consistent voice and identity across every touchpoint.

3. Feature Mapping & UX Narrative

Working with the CEO and IT team, I turned a set of ideas into a coherent UX experience:

  • Prioritized features based on impact to drive product activation.

  • Simplified the three hybrid plans (freemium, subscription, full service) into understandable and differentiated decision points.

  • Defined the content and UX writing and coordinated execution to support activation and credibility.

The goal: make a technical process feel human, trustworthy, and doable.

4. GTM & Sales Enablement

I built the outbound GTM (Beta-launch) foundation simultaneously.

This included:

  • Persona-based segmentation

  • Designed and tested outbound messaging across ICPs using Lemlist and HubSpot to validate early traction.

  • Creating scripts, demo settings, lead nurturing worfkflows

  • Laying trust fundamentals: certifications, security reassurance, transparent process and long-form educational content with a clear narrative that tied retrofit to comfort, savings, and long-term value.

  • Setting up analytics (GA, Search Console) and initial SEO groundwork.

Together, these efforts made the beta launch aligned with the product roadmap, and optimized for first product demos and investment conversation.

Golden Circle

Golden Circle

Value Proposition

Value Proposition

ICPs + Buyer Personas

ICPs + Buyer Personas

Competitive Tracker

Competitive Tracker

Branding Arquitecture

Branding Arquitecture

Investor Deck

Investor Deck

Expected EPC Scenario

Expected EPC Scenario

Energy Management

Energy Management

[ Results & Impact ]

A product ready to meet the market

As product and narrative aligned, Ivynest became understandable.

What once felt fragmented, AI assessments, retrofit planning, financing, delivery, resolved into a single, guided path homeowners could trust.

By the end, Ivynest had:

  • Clear positioning as an intelligent end-to-end retrofit platform for homeowners, partners, and investors

  • A cohesive messaging system and scalable umbrella brand architecture across Nestia ventures

  • Prioritized product features and simplified plans that reduced decision friction and improved activation

  • A guided UX narrative that made a complex retrofit process feel understandable and trustworthy

  • Outbound GTM systems ready for demos, partnerships, and early demand

  • Sales and investor narratives grounded in a clear, repeatable value story.

Results & Impact

  • 65% lower operational costs than average lean teams.

  • 30+ demos in the first months

  • 6 strategic partnerships with leading energy and finance companies

  • Semifinalist in The Ventures (London-based venture program)

  • A flexible branding system that supports future identity expansion across all Nestia ventures.

Ivynest emerged with a coherent, investable, and customer-ready platform story.