"Insulation has a 3-4x better ROI than heat pumps and 10x better than solar systems. Most people get this wrong when retrofitting their homes."

In today's episode of the podcast, we had Chris from VARM, who shared his journey of building a VC-backed installation business aimed at becoming the European champion in the space.

Tune in to find out about:

✅ How VARM is building a "cloud installer network" - a franchise model on steroids

✅ Why Chris pivoted from longevity e-commerce to climate tech after successfully exiting his first business

✅ The surprising fundraising reality: "VCs and markets and investments are very often done based on FOMO"

✅ Their ambitious mission to insulate 1 million houses over 10 years

Listen to the full episode on Spotify to learn how VARM is revolutionizing the insulation industry with their innovative business model and scaling strategy.

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Chapters

00:00 Intro

06:20 The Journey to Vaughan: Chris's Background

09:19 From Management Consulting to Entrepreneurship

12:17 Building a Sustainable Business: The Vision for Varm

15:19 Why Insulation? The Case for Energy Efficiency

18:24 Blown-In Insulation: A Smart Choice

21:20 The Business Model: Cloud Installer Network

24:08 Empowering Installers: The Business in a Box

27:25 Growth Strategy and Customer Acquisition

36:04 Community Engagement and Education

39:26 Content Marketing Strategies

40:59 Learning Through Experience

43:12 The Cloud Installer Model

45:52 Investor Relations and Fundraising

47:38 Resource Allocation and Growth

48:45 Understanding Competition

51:09 Creating Win-Win Situations

52:24 Market Expansion Plans

55:55 Defining Success Metrics

57:40 Cultural Fit in Hiring

1:04:25 Advice for Founders in Physical Industries