744: The Warby Parker of Renewable Energy? How Project Solar cuts out the middle-man, with founders Matthew Smith & Trevor Hiltbrand

What if you could go online, get a solar quote in under a minute, and bypass door knocking sales reps? That's the promise of Project Solar, a Utah-based startup with over $23 M in Series A funding, that's changing the way residential solar is sold. Founders Matthew Smith and Trevor Hiltbrand are disrupting the solar market with a direct-to-consumer model that eliminates the middleman, offering transparency and simplicity. Leveraging their deep e-commerce expertise and entrepreneurial backgrounds, they created a platform that empowers homeowners with clear, low pricing and a streamlined process. Their journey has been defined by significant early success, even acquisition offers, and almost immediately finding the coveted “product-market fit”, all while maintaining a rabid focus on customer experience. It’s rare that I think someone is truly, actually, changing the way we do things - Project Solar is one of those rare finds.Expect to learn:How Project Solar’s quoting tool delivers accurate solar quotes in under a minute.Why Project Solar’s focus on simplicity and transparency is reducing the inflated costs commonly found in traditional solar sales.What regulatory efforts are needed in addressing the “bad actors” in the current marketWhere hiring the right team fits into Project Solar's long-term success in saving customers $42M and counting.When the founders realized the need to refine their business model to meet the changing financing needs of their customers.Want to know how Project Solar is bringing transparency and simplicity to the solar buying process? Listen in to learn how their direct-to-consumer online platform is transforming the way solar is sold!If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalusMentioned in this episode:CPS July 2024 V2