Cercula

the ask

After our initial meeting with the founder of Cercula, we became convinced that she was addressing a major issue in the construction sector - namely, the industry's substantial carbon emissions. However, by mid-2022, Cercula lacked a technical cofounder, and their MVP product was not meeting expectations. Our team faced several obstacles, including enhancing the matching algorithm (a crucial product component), resolving urgent issues, assisting the founder in securing client pilots, and devising a comprehensive product and funding strategy. Furthermore, there were no established methodologies or procedures in place.

Early on, we adopted a "step-by-step" methodology, prioritizing tasks that yielded high value with minimal effort, while also reinforcing the solid foundation that the founder had established. We had to put in long hours to effect rapid change, ensuring that Cercula's initial clients generated revenue and that funding was secured.

Outcomes

Providing strategic advice- product & investment- to the founder

Supplying an elastic product squad of three individual

Working on creating APIs, matching datasets and report visuals

Re-designing the app (new components and journeys)

Helping raise the seed round (£1.2 million)

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Match

“Better data mapping to track the emboddied carbon of all materials”

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technical requirements

We had to work hand-in-hand with the founder and analyse thoroughly how her previous CTO had developed the matching tool and database connections. We had to do a lot of reverse engineering work, which went well!

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Scale

“Allow Cercula to aggregate millions of data points for and have an impact in making better choices with construction materials and processes”

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team principles

We are following the lean startup approach to focus on a few features and iterate according to client feedback. Our team velocity has increased as we continuously add people with the right skills, attitude and expertise in climate tech, data and construction.

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the process

YJCollective provides the team with 12 months, with each month specified by a statement of work that defines the team requirements and cap hours. The product team utilises the Scrum framework to build, test, and iterate on their work efficiently. Additionally, our CEO Yoann serves as a Senior C-level consultant, dedicating his time to mentoring the team, recruiting new contractors (via YJC), hiring permanent software engineers, guiding the product roadmap, and setting company goals (KPIs and KPIs) OKRs).