inBalance

inBalance discovered genuine demand when Enel, Europe's largest utility, began paying for electricity price forecasts and restructuring operations around the predictions. ​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌Rather than relying on survey responses, the team measured interest through actual customer acquisition costs and contract values—enterprise clients wouldn't commit multi-year agreements without confidence in ROI. Early traction emerged as energy storage operators and EV charging networks independently approached inBalance after seeing competitors' improved margins. The decisive validation came when existing customers reported millions in additional annual revenue directly attributable to more accurate price forecasting. This wasn't theoretical interest; it was measurable business impact that justified expansion. Customers began integrating inBalance's predictions into core decision-making systems, indicating the solution solved a genuine operational problem rather than a nice-to-have feature. The willingness of price-sensitive energy companies to adopt and retain the software—where switching costs were low—proved the approach worked in practice, not just in pitch decks.

inBalance charged customers based on the value their electricity price forecasts generated—a usage-based model tied directly to revenue improvements. Before committing resources, the founders tested willingness-to-pay by approaching energy companies with detailed ROI calculations showing how accurate price predictions could unlock millions in annual savings through optimized storage dispatch and EV charging timing. Enel's early adoption provided the critical validation signal: a major utility company with sophisticated procurement teams chose to pay for inBalance's software, demonstrating that enterprise customers would open their wallets for measurable financial returns. The fact that Enel and other live customers reported millions in annual revenue improvements from using the platform proved the value proposition wasn't theoretical. This real-world performance data—actual customers achieving concrete financial gains—became inBalance's strongest early signal that their pricing approach matched genuine customer value creation rather than speculative benefits.