The First 365
Joyride's Approach to a Startup’s Launch and the Pivotal First Year
Launching a mobility startup takes more than a great product—it demands a clear vision, focused messaging, and relentless storytelling to break through in a crowded market. At Joyride Group, we believe a startup’s first year is pivotal: it sets the foundation for credibility, momentum, and industry influence. Our approach pairs big-picture strategy with hands-on execution, ensuring new brands like SkillFusion not only capture attention at launch, but also sustain it through thought leadership, media presence, and authentic narrative.
The following case study details how Joyride partnered with SkillFusion to help the company define its voice, earn trust, and establish itself as an essential force in the rapidly evolving world of electric vehicle infrastructure.
Key Results
Year One with SkillFusion
254 M
Estimated Reach in First Year
62
SEO-Enriched blog posts
More Than
200
total pieces of media coverage
20%
average month-over-month audience
growth on social media
Project Overview
As the electric vehicle market accelerates across the U.S., maintaining a reliable charging infrastructure is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a national necessity. That’s where SkillFusion comes in.
Launched in late 2023, SkillFusion is a customer success platform for electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) operations and maintenance (O&M) providers. The company is solving one of the EV transition’s most urgent challenges: how to scale and certify the workforce needed to install, maintain, and repair the country’s growing EV charger network.
Joyride Group was selected as SkillFusion’s communications partner to support the company’s official launch and position it as a trusted force in the EV ecosystem. From brand messaging to press strategy and thought leadership, Joyride helped SkillFusion establish early momentum—and become a go-to voice in the national conversation around charger reliability and workforce readiness.
The Challenge
Launching SkillFusion meant entering a crowded and rapidly evolving EV infrastructure market with a new kind of platform—one that didn’t fit neatly into existing categories like staffing, training, or software. As a startup with limited brand recognition, SkillFusion faced the challenge of breaking through industry noise while educating the market on a novel solution designed specifically for EVSE operations and maintenance providers. To succeed, the company needed to quickly build credibility, clearly articulate its value, and position itself as an essential partner in scaling a reliable, work-ready EV charger workforce.
Joyride’s Strategy
Joyride approached SkillFusion’s first year with a focus on credibility, clarity, and category education—positioning the brand as a mission-driven partner to O&M providers working to keep America’s chargers running. The strategy centered on defining the company’s story, elevating its platform, amplifying the voices of its leadership, and building sustained momentum through strategic storytelling and media engagement.
The strategy encompassed several key elements:
Narrative Development
Joyride built a foundational messaging framework that defined SkillFusion’s role and industry leadership. This narrative was crafted to be audience-specific, covering a wide range of target audiences including O&M providers, electricians and technicians, regulators, and the press. This foundational narrative was used to inspire website copy, marketing materials, pitches, talking points, and more.
Compelling Storytelling
Joyride crafted an authentic and transparent narrative and storytelling strategy—rooted in authenticity and transparency—that focused on highlighting SkillFusion’s certification program, nationwide reach, and role in supporting the NEVI program’s ambitious goals. This story was told through social media, digital content, marketing materials, and talking points.
Media Relations
Joyride led a launch campaign that generated earned media coverage across cleantech, automotive, and workforce development press. On the heels of the launch, Joyride worked to continually insert SkillFusion into trending media conversations surrounding the electric vehicle revolution, EV charging incentives, policy, and more. Over time, we were able to cultivate relationships as the go-to-source.
Executive Visibility
With a deep-bench of leadership expertise at SkillFusion, Joyride was able to proactively match executives with key interviews, op-eds, and speaking engagements at industry events. SkillFusion’s leadership team quickly became subject matter experts on topics like EV charger uptime, labor shortages, public-private workforce initiatives, policy and incentives, and everything related to EV charger operations and maintenance.
Our Results
In its first year, SkillFusion achieved a successful national launch with strong media traction and growing industry visibility. The company quickly established a clear and credible brand identity as a mission-driven platform focused on EV workforce readiness. Its leadership team emerged as thought leaders in the space, securing interviews, panel invitations, and editorial placements. As awareness grew, so did inbound interest from EVSE operations and maintenance providers eager to access SkillFusion’s credentialed talent pool. Through consistent storytelling and strategic positioning, SkillFusion became recognized as essential infrastructure supporting the nation’s clean energy transition.
Year One Results:
100% earned coverage
256 pieces of coverage
254.5M estimated reach
62 SEO-enriched blog posts
Key Media Hits
SkillFusion: Leading the Charge with their Recently Launched EVSE Diagnostic Technician (EDT) Training and Certification Program
From Computer Labs to Charging Stations featuring Elaina Farnsworth of SkillFusion
SkillFusion launches EVSE Diagnostic Technician credentialing program
Reimagining Careers: How SkillFusion Empowers the Next Generation of Blue-Collar Influencers
These professions are poised to gain from EV transition
Entrepreneurs are Getting Energized as Biden Invets in a More Resilient Electrical Grid
Why Public EV Charging Sucks … and What’s Being Done to Fix It
A Look Ahead For The Electric Vehicle Charging Industry
Social Media Content
We are Joyride.
AUTHENTIC, TRUSTWORTHY STORYTELLING
And we know that the right story has the power to change everything.
A true approach to storytelling brings together narrative development with traditional PR, marketing, and thought leadership. It's about crafting a narrative that resonates with industry stakeholders, showcasing the value of innovation in tangible, relatable terms. It’s about creating excitement and captivating target audiences, conveying not just what the company does but why it matters and how it can transform lives and industries. It's a journey of authenticity, transparency, and trust, aligning the vision of businesses with the aspirations of a world ready to embrace the future of transportation.