Dill

Dill identified a critical cash flow problem plaguing construction suppliers: they were losing 30-60 days of working capital while manually chasing payments from contractors. Small and mid-sized suppliers experienced this most acutely—unlike large distributors with dedicated accounting teams, they lacked resources to follow up on invoices systematically. The problem was starkly measurable: suppliers could track exactly how many days their money sat in customer accounts and quantify lost revenue from payment delays. Before Dill, suppliers chose between expensive legacy accounting software requiring IT implementation, hiring additional staff for collections, or accepting chronic late payments. Early validation came when initial customers reported cutting Days Sales Outstanding by 20+ days within weeks of implementation. Suppliers also showed strong product engagement, with users returning daily to monitor payment status and send automated reminders. This consistent usage pattern—combined with customers' willingness to pay subscription fees to recover cash faster—signaled that Dill had solved a genuine, urgent problem suppliers actively wanted resolved.

Dill discovered genuine demand when construction suppliers began unprompted conversations about cash flow problems during initial customer interviews. Rather than asking about automation, founders observed suppliers spending 15-20 hours weekly on manual invoicing and payment chasing—behavioral signals revealing acute pain. They measured interest through a simple metric: how many suppliers requested early access and actually completed their application process. Within three months, Dill achieved 40% of contacted suppliers signing up for the beta, far exceeding typical SaaS conversion rates. Early traction proved decisive: suppliers who integrated Dill reduced days sales outstanding by an average of 12 days in the first month, creating measurable financial impact that drove word-of-mouth referrals. The strongest validation came when suppliers began requesting features unprompted and referring competitors—actions demonstrating they'd embedded the tool into daily operations. This willingness to change established workflows proved demand transcended stated interest, confirming the market genuinely needed automated receivables solutions.