What is your brand’s core?

A brand’s core is a combination of three concepts; a purpose statement, a vision statement, and a mission statement.

At startups in particular, it’s likely that these concepts are used interchangeably, creating confusion instead of clarity.

What exactly are they?

• A purpose statement answers the question “why does your company exist?”

• A vision is the answer to the question: “what future are you building?”.

• A mission is the answer to the question: “How are you going to create that future”.

So, how do these three terms work together?

Here’s a (made up) example for a home (B2C) sustainable energy system company:

• Purpose: We exist to build a sustainable energy future.

• Vision: We are building a world where every home is independent from the power grid and can provide for its own needs.

• Mission: We are on a mission to make home energy systems available and accessible to every home in Europe.

By answering each of these questions, you’re likely to go beyond the biggest challenge which Climate Tech startups have — creating your entire brand around sustainability — build a unique brand that helps you stand out from your peers in the space.

Your brand core is a combination of your why, your vision and your mission. Answering these questions isn’t an easy task: especially in Climate Tech when your purpose is likely the same as your competitors. In this lesson, we’re going to look at your why specifically, and why you should go beyond sustainability and create something that sets your brand apart.

To accelerate the transition towards…

So, let’s address the elephant in the room… What’s wrong with the sentence, “to accelerate the transition towards…”.

Now, don't get me wrong, that's Tesla's mission statement and Tesla is undoubtedly one of the great success stories in the Climate Tech world. They showed that change at scale was not only possible, but also wildly profitable. But is it right for your startup?

We’re all building climate technologies, we’re all working towards the same future. But your brand core need to be different from your competitors. It’s simple: you’re not the only one in your industry trying to land the same partnerships, the same funding, the same talent. So when we fail to get specific, beyond “accelerating the transition towards”, we fail to differentiate ourselves in the rapidly evolving climate tech landscape.

There are already many sustainability-oriented companies out there who use this phrase. To name a few:

• Tesla: To accelerate the advent of sustainable transport

• ENGIE: To accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy

• Fastned: To give freedom to electric drivers and accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility

• Gispen: To accelerate the transition towards a circular economy
  The Natural Step: To accelerate the transition to a sustainable society

• Circle Economy: To accelerate the practical and scalable implementation of the circular economy

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: To accelerate the transition to a circular economy

• WBCSD: To accelerate the transition to a sustainable world
  Circularise: To accelerate the transition to a circular economy...

Think about it.

If someone's going to remember one thing about your brand, do you want that one thing to be the same as 100 other brands on the market...

Probably not.

Just because we're all working towards the same common goal doesn't mean you can't differentiate your own brand and what you stand for...beyond being "green" that is.

Let me put it another way: If Nike was a sustainable technology brand, what would their mission statement be?

"Accelerating the creation of a world where more people play sport"

Or take for instance...

• Apple: Accelerating the adoption of computers with the best user experience

• Starbucks: To accelerate the transition to a world where more people drink milky coffee

• Ted: To accelerate the transition to a world where ideas spread

• Google: To accelerate the transition to an interconnected world

• Uber: To accelerate the transition to seamless transport solutions.

Just because it works for Tesla, doesn't mean it should be yours as well. So here's saying it: Don't be afraid to draw a line in the sand.

Get creative. Be authentic. Make something new.