Connecting with Customers to Increase Valuation

Challenge

Accela, an education technology startup, developed "Ecollect," an app that enhances the usability of large databases utilized by private and public schools. As potential buyers showed interest in acquiring the company, its leadership sought to strengthen sales and reduce customer churn to increase valuation.

Approach

A key piece of information surfaced after we mapped the complex consideration process within school districts, and then did a deep dive into the mindset of the primary decision-maker. 

Accela had been pushing "innovation" as its value proposition; our discovery process debunked that approach. We revealed that a district's primary concern is minimizing disruption to its stakeholders (parents, administration, teachers). This disconnect between audience and messaging explained why Ecollect's ROI, no matter how impressive, could not convert customers. 

We participated in developing a simplified, low-friction customer onboarding process, and then produced a customer-facing playbook to match. Deliverables also included: new website copy, an internal messaging handbook, case studies, white papers, customer service SLAs, and a refreshed brand kit that supported this positioning shift.

Results

Accela was acquired by the largest player in the industry for 3x its previous year's valuation.
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"Tasha put us in a much, much better negotiating position. On a practical level, we could point to growth and renewal rates and show an IP portfolio that was more than just the code. And on another level, we felt much more like a fully-realized company, not just a product."

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