Layerup · Customer Discovery Case Study 170% to goal for discovery meetings.
- Industry
- Fintech
- Engagement
- Customer Discovery
Prior to partnering with JJELLYFISH, Layerup’s team was focused on building AI agents to streamline compliance processes. Initially, they identified compliance as an underserved market with significant growth potential. Compliance leaders need an "all-in-one" platform to replace manual processes across multiple use cases but Layerup was unsure if the hypothesis aligned with current customer needs. Despite a handful of conversations with compliance leaders, their outbound strategy wasn’t yielding enough meetings to accelerate learnings. A lack of a methodical approach to problem validation led to inconsistent results. Uncertain if compliance was the right focus, or if they were on the right track, Layerup knocked on the door at JJELLYFISH HQ.
Layerup The Challenge
As the engagement progressed, conversations with prospects revealed key obstacles to adoption. One major challenge was that no single stakeholder owned all five use cases being tested, causing significantly more complexity in the sales process. This fragmentation introduced multiple incumbents, additional decision-makers, and differing views on the "right" way to address their problems. Additionally, many compliance stakeholders preferred manual methods to ensure confidence in their approach and expressed challenges in justifying AI investments in a cost-center like compliance over other business functions.
The Solution
JJELLYFISH provided Layerup with a clear path forward by addressing the challenges identified during the engagement and refined their approach to the market.
To navigate fragmented ownership and simplify decision-making, JJELLYFISH recommended focusing on a single, high-value use case within one team. The approach minimized friction, reduced the number of decision-makers, and ensured alignment with a clear, targeted stakeholder.
Recognizing the challenges of compliance as a cost center, JJELLYFISH suggested shifting to revenue-generating use cases where ROI was more apparent and prioritization easier to secure. It was a shift aimed at positioning Layerup’s AI solution as a higher-impact investment for organizations.
Finally, JJELLYFISH emphasized the importance of building credibility through creative customer acquisition strategies, such as proof of concepts or case studies. By landing a few initial customers, Layerup could establish trust, validate their approach, and create momentum for broader adoption.
The Results
JJELLYFISH's efforts accelerated Layerup's ability to test and validate assumptions about the compliance market. By exceeding meeting goals and achieving cold-call conversion rates three times the industry standard, they significantly reduced the time needed to gain critical insights. A methodical approach to problem validation allowed Layerup to clearly identify that compliance, as a broad market, was not the clearest focus and instead highlighted better opportunities for their AI solution. Invalidating quickly, and improving clarity saved months of effort and enabled Layerup to redirect resources toward higher-ROI opportunities with confidence.
Arnav Bathla, Founder & CEOJJELLYFISH's process made it clear what we need to do as a company. We avoided going down the wrong path and can now focus on building a product that solves real, valuable problems.
