Aether

What do they actually do

Aether provides a live, self-serve SaaS platform that helps home-services contractors (initially solar) run front‑office work from lead targeting through proposal and handoff to operations. Teams can sign up today, use a free trial, and pay via per‑seat plans plus pay‑per‑use credits for measurements, reports, and AI tasks [pricing, sign‑up](https://www.aethergtm.com/pricing, homepage).

In practical terms, reps paste an address to get a property “intent” score, auto‑generated roof measurements and permit‑ready solar layouts in seconds, and a branded proposal with financing and e‑signature. A built‑in CRM and “trade‑trained” AI agents automate follow‑ups, scheduling, and updates, while basic operations tracking supports permits, handoffs, and forecasting Intent Engine, Design & Residential Solar, AI GTM Engine.

YC lists Aether as a W24 company and notes they scaled quickly to $1M ARR. The company also states it is “powering thousands of contractor jobs, every day” on its site YC profile, homepage.

Who are their target customer(s)

• Small residential solar owner or sales manager: Spends hours per lead on roof measurements, site visits, and manual proposals, limiting throughput and slowing closes. Needs permit‑ready designs and automated follow‑ups to raise close rates.
• Roofing or HVAC contractor adding solar/multi‑trade: Juggles separate tools and manual handoffs between sales and operations, causing errors and delays. Needs a single workflow to score leads, generate site designs, and hand off cleanly to production.
• Regional operations manager at a growing installer group: Lacks real‑time visibility into permits, installs, and forecasting across crews, making capacity planning and revenue predictability difficult. Needs centralized tracking and dashboards to reduce coordination overhead.
• Field sales rep / estimator: Can’t produce accurate, finance‑ready proposals on site because measurements and pricing are slow or fragmented, which kills homeowner momentum. Needs instant measurements, templated quotes, and e‑signature.
• Finance or partnerships lead at a contractor: Struggles to present integrated financing options and track financing workflows across deals, lowering conversion and complicating accounting. Needs proposals with embedded lender offers and streamlined signing/payment flows.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Founder‑led, no‑risk pilots with nearby residential solar installers via YC and founder networks; waive seat fees and include free measurement/design credits to secure quick wins and referenceable case studies (pricing/free trial, YC).
• First 50: Targeted outbound to small residential solar and crossover roofing/HVAC firms with a 14‑day trial and credit bundles; add lender/distributor co‑sell partnerships so prospects see integrated financing and faster time‑to‑close (services/financing mentions).
• First 100: Expand channels via regional distributors and trade associations, publish API/SDK for larger installers, and run regional events/trade shows; strengthen self‑serve signup, clear pricing/credit bundles, and templated onboarding to lower CAC (pricing, SDK/enterprise, AI GTM Engine).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Aether targets front‑office sales/design/CRM spend across residential contractors in solar, roofing, HVAC, and adjacent trades in North America and Europe—segments that routinely buy point tools for lead scoring, design, proposals, and project handoff.

Bottom-up calculation:

If ~25,000 target contractor locations are reachable initially, and the average account spends ~$6–8k/year (seats plus usage credits), the initial serviceable TAM is roughly $150–$200M/year, with upside as more trades and countries are added.

Assumptions:

• Focus on small/mid contractor locations across solar, roofing, and HVAC in North America and Europe (~25k locations).
• Average 3–6 front‑office seats per location at ~$100–$150/seat/month plus usage credits (~$1–3k/year additional).
• Does not include enterprise tiers or deeper multi‑trade expansion, which could increase ARPU and footprint.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Aurora Solar: Remote site modeling, shading analysis, and permit‑ready layouts with proposal/financing features; strong brand for accuracy and large‑installer adoption, overlapping Aether’s address→design→proposal flow.
• Solargraf: LIDAR/imagery‑based 3D roof modeling, shading, and proposal generation for residential solar; competes on fast measurements, proposals, and permit plan services with volume pricing options.
• OpenSolar: Installer‑focused platform covering design, proposals, payments, and project management; often chosen by small teams seeking low‑cost design→proposal→payments workflows.
• JobNimbus: CRM and job/project management for roofers, restoration, and solar teams; overlaps with Aether’s CRM and operations handoff features for multi‑trade contractors.
• AccuLynx: Roofing‑focused end‑to‑end platform for sales, production tracking, dispatch, and reporting; matches operational handoff and field scheduling elements relevant to roofing and multi‑trade teams.