How to Build a Category Leader When No One Sees the Problem

In episode 152 of Startup Success, Kate Adams talks with Kameale Terry, co-founder and CEO of ChargerHelp. Kameale set out to fix EV chargers that investors insisted weren't broken. Today, ChargerHelp is the category leader in reliability-as-a-service for EV chargers. Before founding the company, Kameale ran customer experience at EV charging network EV Connect, where she saw the reliability problem up close. She shares how she created a new market category, found the right co-founder, raised a Series A, and uses AI to stay ahead of competitors. Key takeaways: How to build a new market category when no one believes the problem exists Why trusting your gut matters most when investors say no How Kameale improved her pitch by recording and critiquing herself on Zoom What to look for in a co-founder: different expertise, and someone who challenges you without stifling you How customer wins and thought leadership fueled ChargerHelp's Series A How to scale a climate tech startup through policy swings, and how AI keeps ChargerHelp ahead Kameale's advice to founders: trust your gut, feel your customers' pain, and tell a story that makes the opportunity undeniable It's hard not to get caught up in Kameale's enthusiasm for building. Don't miss this one! 🎧 Listen to Startup Success wherever you get your podcasts! Startup Success is produced by Burkland Associates, which provides fractional CFO, accounting, payroll, and tax services for venture-backed startups. Learn more: https://burklandassociates.com/ Follow us:   / burkland-associates     / burklandassoc     / burklandassoc   0:00 Introduction 0:40 The EV Charger Reliability Problem That Sparked ChargerHelp 1:43 Why She Took the Leap Into Founding 2:46 Evolving the Solution to a Complex Problem 4:52 Creating a New Market Category 7:32 Trusting Your Gut Despite the Naysayers 9:03 Feel Your Customers' Pain and Build for It 10:08 Use Your Story to Show Your Value 11:11 How to Improve Your Pitch 12:33 What to Look for in a Co-Founder 14:33 ChargerHelp's Path to Series A 15:48 How to Position Your Startup as the Market Leader 17:40 Scaling Climate Tech Through Policy Swings 21:38 Using AI to Stay Ahead of Competitors 23:57 Advice for Founders: Build, Build, Build 26:19 It's Okay That It's Hard 27:17 Where to Find ChargerHelp #StartupSuccess #ClimateTech #EVCharging #SeriesA