To make regulatory data accessible, HData needed to harvest large, publicly available data sets that were difficult to access due to outdated public websites and inconsistent formats that varied from state to state. 

While HData had a talented team, they lacked the bandwidth to tackle this complex data harvesting project while maintaining focus on their core business operations. Without a solution, HData’s growth trajectory would be limited by its inability to incorporate these critical data sets into the platform. 

The Seed to Success Audit

The partnership began with Sightglass Partners’ Seed to Success Audit — a comprehensive diagnostic assessment designed to identify points of friction across HData’s strategic priorities, product development, and executional processes.

Through multiple interviews with HData leadership and subject matter experts, along with a thorough market scan, the Sightglass team, led by Sightglass Principal Marc DePape, came to deeply understand the challenges HData faced in their growth journey.

“Sightglass understood what we needed, built conceptual versions of what we needed, tested them and came back to us with an evaluation of how long it would take and what the level of effort would be and what the outcome would look like,” explained Hollister.

This thorough approach established trust from the beginning. “We felt understood, we felt seen,” said Hollister. “It’s not just a good feeling. It also means that the project kicked off without any surprises.”

Product Realization

The Seed to Success Audit informed Sightglass’ Product Realization services, which supported the HData team in delivering a comprehensive solution to market. DePape managed the program with Sightglass Partner, Matthew Tobiasz, leading delivery in support of Yuval Lubowich, HData’s CTO.

One key insight from the audit was that while automation might seem like the obvious approach, the reality was far more complex. Sightglass discovered that “every state was a snowflake” that required a unique approach based on its specific characteristics and systems.

Sightglass developed a repeatable process for exploring and determining the right collection solution for each state’s unique data landscape. This methodical approach allowed for predictable timelines and costs while handling the inherent variability in the data sources.

The deep integration between the Sightglass and HData teams was critical to the project’s success.

“We’ve got a top-to-bottom relationship where members of the Sightglass team are connected with different parts of ours. There’s not one gatekeeper. We’re fully interfaced.” Hollister noted that this level of integration fostered transparency and trust across the entire organization. 

The Results

The impact of the partnership was transformative for HData in achieving its growth goals:

• Doubled Sales: “We’ve doubled our sales over the last year because we have more data sets in a platform that we can sell to our customers. We couldn’t have done that if we didn’t have this complex problem tackled by Sightglass.”
• Incremental Growth: Each completed U.S. state data set resulted in a new influx of customers, creating a steady stream of feedback and revenue throughout the program.
• Growing Momentum: As each data set is added, HData gains even more traction in the market and can reprioritize and respond to growth opportunities.
• Leadership Focus: The partnership freed HData leadership to focus on new growth opportunities while Sightglass realized their core product.
• Board Endorsement: Even the HData board was so impressed with the results that they recommended increasing investment in the relationship with Sightglass. “When does a board member ever say, ‘I think you should spend more on that partner?'”

The Sightglass Difference

Through the Seed to Success Audit and Product Realization services, Sightglass has demonstrated how the right strategic partner can transform a complex challenge into a sustainable competitive advantage.

Throughout the process, Hollister has appreciated the team’s “efficiency, empathy, and responsiveness.” Unlike other consultancies, Sightglass doesn’t try to create dependency and instead takes a more focused approach: “They never get comfortable. They’re always pushing the envelope. Their goal instead is to find the hardest problems and solve them.”

The successful partnership with Sightglass has positioned HData for continued growth and success in the energy regulatory data space. By systematically adding new state data sets to their platform, HData continues to increase their value proposition to customers while gaining market share.

Hollister’s experience has been overwhelmingly positive: “If we didn’t have Sightglass working with us, then we would still be bogged down in the initial problem.”