Ecometro - Product Strategy & Architecture

The Challenge

Ecometro's LCA software was built by an external consultancy that stopped providing services in 2023, leaving no internal technical ownership. The platform only accepted BC3 files (a Spanish construction measurement format), blocking integration with BIM, the format used by the largest architecture firms and increasingly mandated by EU regulations. The board wanted to focus on small clients to democratize LCA, but the P&L couldn't sustain that strategy without enterprise revenue. I had to convince them that targeting larger firms, who could pay the bills, was the precondition for eventually serving everyone.

My Approach

Key Decisions

• →Convinced the board to prioritize enterprise clients over small firms. The mission was to democratize LCA, but the P&L needed enterprise revenue first. Targeting firms that could pay enabled the sustainability of the platform for everyone else.
• →Decoupled the database from BC3 rather than adding BIM as a parallel path. Abstracting the data model prevented duplication and made future format integrations trivial.
• →Chose BIM as the primary new integration path. Largest firms already worked in BIM, EU regulations were pushing adoption, and it created a defensible moat against OneClick LCA's international scale.
• →Built an internal team rather than finding another consultancy. Internalizing knowledge was essential for long-term product ownership and iteration speed.

Results

In 4 months of execution (9 months total engagement), established Ecometro's first internal product team and defined a scalable architecture strategy that directly contributed to closing the 2024 funding round and doubling the user base from 500 to 1,000.

Key Learnings

• ✓Balancing mission and business model requires honest trade-offs. The board's instinct to serve small firms was aligned with Ecometro's mission, but the P&L couldn't support it yet. Framing enterprise revenue as the enabler of democratization, not its opposite, helped resolve the tension.
• ✓Architecture should follow the customer, not legacy workflows. The BC3 coupling assumed a workflow that paying clients didn't use. Abstracting the data model realigned the product with how enterprise clients actually worked.
• ✓Co-building partners accelerate product-market fit. The 3 firms investing in BIM integration gave us real files, fast feedback, and patience with rough edges. They weren't just testing—they were shaping the product alongside us.
• ✓As a consultant, your job is to make yourself replaceable. Hiring the internal engineer, documenting architecture decisions, and establishing processes meant Ecometro could continue executing after my engagement ended.
• ✓Some products arrive before their market is ready. When regulation and adoption haven't caught up yet, the strategy is finding pioneer clients willing to invest early—they sustain the product until the broader market materializes.

Tech Stack

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