Reaching Our Niche Industrial Target Group with 1-to-1 Meetings.

In a Nutshell

CHALLENGES

• Having a niche product in the manufacturing and industrial space

• Finding decision-makers in battery operations beyond Finland

• Back-and-forth customer outreach not leading to the decision-maker
  

RESULTS

• Finding decision-makers with niche responsibilities on the Aurora Live platform to have 1-to-1 meetings with

• Market research into relevant roles in different markets

• Ongoing conversations with almost 20% of decision-makers from initial meetings
  

The Full Story

Finnish startup CeLLife Technologies Ltd. wanted to introduce its niche battery operations solution to customers beyond their home country, namely Germany, France, and Sweden.  Pitching niche solutions comes with the challenge of finding the right decision-maker to pitch it to.

According to Mika-Petteri Kuro, Chief Operating Officer of CeLLife, previous outreach efforts had him going around in circles with challenges to find the right person to speak to. Having experienced Aurora Live’s services in a previous role, he decided to collaborate with us again to see if he could reach the group he fondly calls “battery people.” 

Defining the Right Decision-Makers in a Complex Battery Market

CeLLife primarily targets organisations with used batteries for recycling or life extension.

They also target battery manufacturers, companies that engage in third-party battery sales, and those involved with self-assembly of modules and battery packs, which is common in Europe.

Role-wise, Mika-Petteri aims to speak with C-levels, including the CEO, CTO, and COO. Quality directors, production directors, business development, and R&D could also be relevant depending on the organisation. He acknowledges that CeLLife casts a wide net for roles as battery operations is a niche area with a complex decision-making system.

“Battery quality control and status checks are often related to quality control, production, and processes. On the other hand, the final decision is typically made at the upper level.”

Reaching Hard-to-Access Decision-Makers in Germany and France

Because decision-making in battery operations is complex, Mika-Petteri experienced back-and-forth communication even within target companies, which ultimately didn't lead to the right decision-maker.

Mika-Petteri was already familiar with Aurora Live’s offerings from a previous role and knew that the 1-to-1 meeting concept offered direct access to hard-to-reach decision-makers. With that, he found it easy to pitch working with Aurora Live to CeLLife’s management to reach “battery people” effectively.

“When I joined CeLLife, I realised that Aurora Live could help us connect with customers in Germany and France, who are particularly challenging to reach. I knew from previous experience that Aurora Live could help us.”

However, he had one pressing question: Are there enough “battery people” to meet through Aurora Live?

Shortlisting Niche Decision-Makers and Discovering New Opportunities

The Aurora Live platform allows CeLLife to shortlist decision-makers they would like to meet based on factors such as market and job function. These decision-makers are members of the Aurora Live Network, and each is pre-qualified and actively scanning the market for solutions.

Mika-Petteri found the platform features useful to search for decision-makers in battery operations. He used a combination of filters and keywords to narrow down suitable target customers and read through decision-maker profiles to identify a need for CeLLife’s solutions. Through his process, he also discovered an untapped target industry: transportation logistics.

From there, Mika-Petteri ended up with a long list of names and spent 2 to 3 hours shortlisting the right decision-makers to speak with. He adds, “I was trying to use the platform as effectively as I could, and it worked pretty well.”

Converting Short Meetings into Market Insights and Ongoing Conversations

“Aurora Live did have plenty of battery people to have 1-to-1 meetings with, which was a positive surprise.”

Mika-Petteri commends the high commitment level from the decision-makers, adding that they are briefed well and ready to attend the 1-to-1 meetings. He also learnt about the different battery-related roles companies have, unintentionally performing market research during the meetings.

However, Mika-Petteri was most pleased with the fact that he could reach decision-makers he couldn’t reach before, especially in France and Germany. Plus, the 1-to-1 meetings narrowed the search for niche battery departments in global companies.

A Reliable Way to Reach a Small Specialist Market

The initial run of 30 1-to-1 meetings generated at least five ongoing conversations, which Mika-Petteri calls a success. Since the decision-maker pool in the battery industry is relatively small, CeLLife’s approach to working with Aurora Live is with an annual campaign. They will continue the Aurora Live collaboration in early 2027, continuing to reach decision-makers in the battery industry in Germany, France, and Sweden.

“With Aurora Live, we can reach people that we couldn’t have reached any other way.”

*The insights have been edited for length and clarity.

About CeLLife:

Founded in 2022, CeLLife is a tech startup specialising in quality control and status checks for industrial batteries throughout their whole lifecycle. CeLLife’s customers can manage quality control when they manufacture battery products and ensure proper status checks of used batteries prior to recycling. Central to CeLLife’s offering is a patented AI measurement technology renowned as the world's fastest and most accurate. This technology enables swift and precise analysis of battery cells, modules, and systems, providing critical data in seconds. The company is headquartered in Tampere, Finland, and is rooted in the extensive research on rapid measurement technologies conducted at Tampere University.