How a Canadian AI startup turned one referral-led customer into a validated Architecture & Engineering entry point, landed its first U.S. customer, and built the first repeatable outbound system across Canada and the United States
CLIENT
Narwin AI
CATEGORY
RFP-TECH AI · A/E & CONSTRUCTION · CANADA + U.S.
ENGAGEMENT
Embedded GTM Partner
DATES
January 2026 – June 2026
Narwin was a Canadian AI startup building an RFP matching platform. After a product pivot, the founders were still determining who the product was actually for. One Vancouver Architecture & Engineering firm had signed on after a consultant referral, but there was no validated ICP, no repeatable motion, and no clear market to sell into. A contractor running high-volume LinkedIn outreach was generating connections, but almost none of it converted to real meetings or pipeline.
THE BREAKTHROUGH
VANCOUVER A/E CUSTOMER → CALIFORNIA A/E TEST → FIRST U.S. CLOSE → VALIDATED MARKET ENTRY
01 — EXECUTION
Segment testing
Tested ICP hypotheses in parallel across A/E, construction, consultants, and IT, then anchored U.S. entry in California to validate the strongest segment deliberately.
Team execution
Hired and managed contractors and VAs for list building and cold calling to keep the outbound motion running day to day.
Outbound infrastructure
Built the first structured outbound system, combining public-sector lead sourcing, Instantly for cold email, manual LinkedIn outreach, and association channels.
Founder enablement
Joined discovery calls, coached presentation and follow-up, built sales assets, and repositioned the product from an RFP analyzer to an RFP matching platform.
MARKET ENTRY
First U.S. customer landed within month one
MARKET VALIDATION
Architecture & Engineering validated as the strongest market
COMMERCIAL TRACTION
Paying customers established across Canada and the U.S.
I help early-stage B2B founders identify where urgency exists, build the initial GTM system, and turn live buyer response into a repeatable direction.