Challenge
Electricity Maps is a Climate Tech Startup founded in 2016 in Copenhagen in Denmark. Their mission is to organize the world's electricity data and incentivize both individuals and companies in taking actionable steps towards decarbonizing the electricity grid. They provide an app but also a direct access to their APIs.
They are currently using Blobr to specifically target the customers who would like to get access to the data very fast. Today, most of their partnerships go through the Business Development department, develop a more individual process where Electricity Maps supports the customer in identifying the best solutions for integrating the data.
Yet, they also see a big need from companies who would like to get access to the data right away, in self service. That's where they use Blobr's seamless option which allows customers to instantly purchase the data.
Solution
They use Blobr to manage API keys and API distribution. The API authentication managed by Blobr is really convenient because it allows them to distribute API access according to their rules and securely. Electricity Maps offers three product types on their API portal which enables customers to choose the most suitable offering. Companies that work with the data provider can easily subscribe and start paying for the API products to benefit from the data in their applications. They also really appreciate Blobr's customization and ease of use to get something started quickly.
Key criteria to use Blobr
The Business team of Electricity Maps was able to create their developer portal in no time, without any technical assistance.
Electricity Maps liked being able to set up different business models. On their API store, they have created various subscription-based API Products, based on location. They have also created a free product that allows a data access of one month. They eventually created a “custom” API Product, where end users can send a message if they’re looking for a geographic area that is not covered by the store.
They are able to document the API products according to the use case in question, and therefore the geographical region covered by the API Product.
They like being able to customize their API Products on their portal. They are even more excited about what’s coming next: email customization, API product ordering & tags.
Results
They can both onboard their existing partners in a very personalized way, and let new users onboard as they wish on the portal. Since it’s easy to sign up and subscribe to API Products, the revenue potential is huge.
The mission of Electricity Maps is to increase the visibility of their data, for both individuals and non-commercial project research. They can offer custom free trials to them. Blobr helps in achieving their goal: empower customers to take a step towards reducing carbon emissions.
The tech team never has to interfere with the activity of the business team on the API store they have built.