What happens when a North Carolina native, seasoned by Silicon Valley and Wall Street, returns home to build a company that marries profit with purpose? For Jason Massey, co-founder and CEO of Ndustrial, it's led to a 14-year journey developing cutting-edge technology that makes industrial facilities more efficient and sustainable.
In this episode, Jason shares his unique path, from a childhood in Mebane and studying physics and finance at NC State, to navigating the dot-com bubble in New York and the vibrant startup scene in Silicon Valley. He opens up about the "dysfunction" that birthed new companies from his own efforts and why he ultimately returned to his roots to build Ndustrial into a global leader in industrial energy management.
Tune in to hear:
- Jason's unexpected journey from Mebane, NC, to Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and back again, shaped by a series of "learning experiences."
- The wild story of his early angel investment in Tap Tap Revenge, a mobile game that became an App Store sensation.
- How the "dirty data plumbing" challenge in manufacturing led Ndustrial to pivot from a service business to a SaaS platform for industrial energy management.
- The critical insight that led to Ndustrial's first major product breakthrough: predicting and managing Coincident Peak energy charges for factories.
- Why Ndustrial embraces a hybrid model of SaaS and professional services, contrasting with traditional Silicon Valley expectations.
- His strategic approach to bringing in corporate venture capital from global giants like ABB and GS Energy.
- Jason's vision for Ndustrial, balancing profitability with environmental impact, and why they aim to build a "sustainable business" rather than chasing a quick exit.
- The company's significant work in the cold chain industry, including efforts to optimize food refrigeration and reduce energy consumption.
- The vital role of AI in industrial settings, particularly for contextualizing data and speeding up analysis, even amidst "dirty data."
- Jason's perspective on the Triangle's clean tech ecosystem and the responsibility entrepreneurs have to support each other by buying from local startups.
Where to Find Jason Massey:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmnc/
Ndustrial: https://ndustrial.io/
Where to Find Scot Wingo:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/
- Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/
- X: https://x.com/scotwingo
In this episode:
(00:06:00) Growing up in Mebane, North Carolina, and his path to entrepreneurship through Wall Street and Silicon Valley.
(00:13:00) The velocity of failure in Silicon Valley and his first exposure to clean tech.
(00:17:00) Returning to North Carolina and settling in Mebane with his family.
(00:20:00) The Tap Tap Revenge angel investment and the lessons learned.
(00:28:00) The serendipitous founding of Sustainable Industrial Solutions (SIS) and building foundational tech with NC State engineering students.
(00:37:00) The pivot from SIS to Ndustrial, focusing on industrial production data and the Coincident Peak breakthrough.
(00:45:00) Why Ndustrial embraces a hybrid model of SaaS and professional services, and their approach to hardware.
(00:49:00) Ndustrial's $26 million fundraising journey and the strategic value of corporate VCs.
(00:53:00) Dominating the cold chain market and its massive energy and sustainability impact.
(01:02:00) The value of being "Switzerland" in the energy markets and building a truly sustainable business.
(01:10:00) The significant AI play at Ndustrial, using LLMs for contextualizing data and enhancing user interfaces.
(01:15:00) Jason's commitment to mentoring and supporting the Triangle's entrepreneurial community.
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Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented by Triangle Tweener Fund, and produced by Walk West.
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Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:
- Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/
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