GULF SOLAR EV
I designed and built a custom, SEO-optimized Webflow site for Gulf Solar ahead of a major pitch competition — transforming a 12-page deck into a clear, fundable digital presence. I handled copy, UX, and strategy to position the company for credibility, innovation, and regional trust. The result: Gulf Solar secured $1M+ in early-stage funding, won the gBETA pitch competition, and booked two venture capital meetings directly from organic traffic — without any paid media.
Category: Web Design / Strategic Messaging
Platform: Webflow (custom build)
Timeline: ~30 days
Role: Strategy, Web Design, Copywriting, Pitch Repositioning
Outcome: $1M+ in early-stage funding secured, pitch competition winner
The Setup
Gulf Solar was getting ready to enter a high-stakes seed accelerator. Backed by organizations like Innovation Portal, Alabama Power, University of South Alabama, gener8tor, and Nikola, they were about to pitch a zero-emission freight solution to a room full of investors.
But their consultants told them to make a landing page and polish their 12-page pitch deck.
That’s when I stepped in and said:
You don’t need a landing page. You need a real business site — something that proves you're already operating at the next level.
The Challenge
They had no public-facing presence. No website. No copy. Just a deck.
The brand wasn’t the problem — it was the lack of positioning, structure, and proof that could hold up in a competitive capital-raising environment.
My job was to turn their idea into something that looked fundable — fast.
My Role
- Repositioned their pitch into a digital story
- Wrote full web copy: mission, business model, growth phases, investor language
- Designed and developed a custom Webflow site from scratch
- Structured SEO and UX best practices for credibility and visibility
- Styled the site to feel clean, electric, and intentional — not like a startup template
This wasn’t just a build. It was a strategy project disguised as a website.
Strategy & Approach
The brief made one thing clear:
“A landing page will not provide the impact or share enough information for investors to see the company as an opportunity.”
So we built a 4-page custom site centered around:
- Zero-Emission Freight
- EV Charging Infrastructure
- Solar-Powered Expansion
- Mission, Team, and Investor Opportunity
We pulled content directly from the founder’s story, business plan, and pitch deck — but restructured it to feel public-facing and confident. Instead of hiding the complexity, we layered it cleanly through sections and used animation and visual cues to guide the eye.
Every page was crafted with funding in mind:
- ESG relevance
- Business phases
- Investor ROI logic
- Regional trust (highlighting Alabama-based backing)
- Founder story credibility
Deliverables
- Full Webflow design and development
- Copywriting across all pages
- Basic SEO structure (meta tags, schema-ready HTML)
- Responsive and mobile-first layout
- Hosting setup, domain connection, and soft launch prep
- Creative brief for partner handoff
Outcome
After launching, Gulf Solar:
- Won the gBETA pitch competition
- Secured over $1M in early-stage development funding
- Booked multiple meetings with VCs and regional partners
- Had a site that looked and read like a real infrastructure company, not a startup experiment
The website became more than an asset — it was the proof of concept.
Reflection
This wasn’t about branding. It was about framing the vision so that serious partners could see the value — clearly, quickly, and credibly.
In the end, the site did what the deck couldn’t:
It told the story, proved the model, and landed the money.
