Techstars Alabama EnergyTech startup spotlight: Shipshape Solutions
In this diagram, sensors and detectors in a smart home identify problems that affect safety and efficiency so they can be corrected promptly. (contributed)
Over the next few weeks, Alabama NewsCenter will highlight the inaugural class of 10 startups participating in the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator. The companies specialize in technology and business models to enhance the future of energy, including a digital marketplace for the electric wholesale industry, battery storage and microgrid solutions, and smart home software. Learn more about Techstars here.
Today we look at Shipshape Solutions.
Company name
Shipshape Solutions Inc.
Company hometown
Austin, Texas.
Leadership team
Alexander Linn, founder and CEO; Ryan Dalton, co-founder and chief revenue officer; and Becket Linn, co-founder and chief product officer.
Alabama NewsCenter: What is your company’s overall focus and mission?
Shipshape: We are going to make homes smart enough to take care of themselves by delivering technology solutions to homeowners and home service providers. We envision a world where every home is safe, reliable and efficient.
ANC: What inspired you to develop this company?
Shipshape: Technology is driving structural inequality into the economy. We believe helping homeowners and small businesses that service homes is a great way to promote balanced economic growth. A home is most Americans’ most valuable asset, yet homeowners make costly repair and improvement decisions with very little data or expertise to help them. As a result, owning a home is more expensive and complicated than it should be.
ANC: What attracted your company most to the state of Alabama and the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator?
Shipshape: Alabama, and the Southeast, is underserved by technology leaders, and homes here need more help than most. Humidity and water problems cause damage, health issues and wasted energy. We also see the potential for economic development here more than any other region in the country and believe that there is a tremendous opportunity to make the most impact with customers and small businesses in the Southeast. With this opportunity in our sights, we realized there is no better ally to help us than Alabama Power.
ANC: What does enhancing the future of energy mean to your company?
Shipshape: Shipshape looks holistically at the environmental footprint of homes; electrical consumption of an appliance is just a small part. The replacement cycles and service calls create a massive amount of waste in our environment and landfills. We are developing a software platform for homeowners to optimize the operation and maintenance of homes, which will reduce waste and create a more predictable, controllable consumption pattern.
ANC: Other than moving your startup forward, what is the most meaningful, long-term learning or takeaway you hope to gain for your company by participating in the Techstars class?
Shipshape: We want to know our customers and the stakeholders in the communities we serve. Through this hyperalignment, we can deliver far more value. Together we can prove that technology can be used in the home to drive increased living standards and local economic growth – the true value potential of the smart home.
ANC: What is the No. 1 thing you would like potential investors to know or understand about your company?
Shipshape: We can build value while doing good and, in turn, we will build a technology platform that transforms homeownership for everyone. Imagine a world where all homes are safe, reliable, efficient and comfortable. Creating that world will generate returns for our shareholders and stakeholders.
