Turning Complexity into Market-Ready Brand for 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, improving property value, and creating warmer, more comfortable homes.
Highlights
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
Brand, messaging, GTM, and UX/UI all needed to be clear, approachable, and differentiated to attract demos and position the company for investment.
Outcome
I established the Brand, UX/UI foundations, and outbound GTM (soft-launch), strategically positioning Ivynest as a differentiated brand within the CleanTech market.
This multidisciplinary leadership resulted in substantial efficiency, reducing operational costs by up to 65% in less than eight months. This enabled the company to show functional demos, securing partnerships with clean energy and financial companies, and successfully accelerate its application to investment programs like 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
This was the point where the idea became a system.
We created the Brand Framework that aligned the whole product:
Market and competitive research
Value proposition
Messaging align to ICPs
Personality and Tone
Benefit mapping for plans messaging
umbrella brand logic (to integrate two previous brands and future expansions)
This framework became the backbone of every decision — from UX language and web storytelling to investor decks and outbound campaigns.
It turned intuition into structure.
Building the Brand Strategy Framework
The Strategic Approach: 4 Layers
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:
2. Clear Market framing & Problem
I analyzed the UK retrofit market, mapped digital competitors, identified different target segments, and positioned Ivynest away from the crowded “retrofit service” offering into a new category: an Intelligent End-to-End Retrofit Platform. A space where the homeowners get instance EPC guidance and transparency in the next-step.
This opened a blue-ocean angle: make retrofit feel a complete solution experience, not a contractor service.
For investors, I redesigned the pitch narrative by mapping the 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, investable opportunity with emotional and financial urgency.
2. Brand System & Messaging Architecture
I built the brand from the inside out:
Messaging across identified ICPs.
Tone: professional, transparent, results-focused.
Visual direction + communication logic for the design agency.
Umbrella brand architecture (Nestia, Ivynest, Regenest, Equinest).
Initial UI component system in Figma.
SEO Content and microcopy across website + app.
Designed the content and UX design for the website.
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 brand across the app UX experience:
Prioritized features based on user clarity, not internal complexity.
Simplified the three hybrid plans (freemium, subscription, full service) into understandable decision points.
Designed the foundation for the Beta app: EPC clarity, retrofit options, onboarding flow, and messaging.
I coordinated the development of the website, blog and content.
The goal: make a technical process feel human, trustworthy, and doable.
4. GTM Engine & Trust Signals
I built the outbound GTM (Soft-launch) foundation simultaneously, focusing on testing messaging without increasing marketing spend.
This included:
Segmenting ICPs (homeowners, landlords, property managers, retrofit partners).
Running AB-tested cold outreach via Lemlist and warm nurturing flows and emails through HubSpot.
Creating scripts, demo settings, brochures for agents and partners, and investor-facing materials.
Laying trust fundamentals: certifications, security reassurance, transparent process and long-form educational content with a clear story that tied retrofit to comfort, savings, and long-term value.
Setting up analytics (GA, Search Console, Hotjar) and early SEO groundwork.
Together, these efforts made the soft launch faster, cheaper, and data-informed.
A product ready to meet the market
As the product and story aligned, Ivynest finally became understandable. What once felt complex, AI assessments, retrofit plans, financing, now read as a simple, guided path.
By the end, Ivynest had:
a clear narrative
a cohesive visual identity
a product homeowners could finally understand
a website and flows ready for traffic
outbound systems generating early traction
investor conversations supported by a sharp story
And suddenly, Ivynest could do what early-stage startups must: communicate clearly enough to build trust and momentum.
Results & Impact
Despite being pre-scale and pre-market, the foundations delivered measurable traction:
65% lower operational costs than average lean teams.
30+ demos in the first months
6 strategic partnerships with leading energy and finance companies
Progress to a semifinalist spot in a competitive venture program “The Ventures” in London.
A flexible umbrella brand system that supports future identity expansion across all Nestia ventures.
The company emerged with something rare in the retrofit world:
a coherent, investable, and customer-ready platform story.
I transformed an early-stage retrofit idea into a market-ready brand and communication system that unlocked investor interest and early traction.
My work demonstrates my ability to build market-ready brands from scratch, shaping strategy, narrative, UX, and GTM simultaneously.