BUILDERS Podcast — DG Matrix CEO Haroon Inam on Converting Enterprise Skeptics to Nine-Figure Contracts

Date: March 12, 2026
Host: Brett (Front Lines Media)
Guest: Haroon Inam, CEO of DG Matrix
Episode Theme: The crawl-walk-run sequence and other strategies DG Matrix uses to convert skeptical enterprise buyers into massive contracts.

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Brett sits down with Haroon Inam, CEO of DG Matrix, to discuss how the company has navigated the tricky process of winning over skeptical enterprise customers and closing nine-figure deals in the rapidly growing AI data center and electrification markets. Haroon breaks down the commercial, technical, and organizational strategies that set DG Matrix apart, sharing firsthand lessons learned from objections, pilots, and scaling rapidly into the multi-gigawatt age.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DG Matrix’s Mission and Market Shift

[01:27]

• What DG Matrix Does:
  • “Power is power. Those that have electric power will get to superhuman intelligence first. The United States doesn’t have enough juice. And the best way to power up AI data centers is add sources behind the meter to add power more quickly than utilities can. We have hands down the best behind the meter architecture for combining multiple AC and DC sources to provide that power to AI data centers in a nutshell is what DG Matrix does.” — Haroon Inam, 01:27
• Evolution from Fleet Electrification to AI Data Centers:
  • Originally targeting fleet electrification, the company pivoted when approached by a major GPU and chip maker.

2. Why Power Infrastructure Is the Bottleneck

[03:29]

• Aging power grid infrastructure can’t keep pace with exponential AI data center growth.
• Server rack power density is rising massively — “Each rack is going from 6-8 kilowatts to a megawatt over the next couple of years.”
• Solution: Create “cellular” or distributed power solutions behind the meter.

3. Sizing the Opportunity & Economic Impacts of AI Demand

[04:28]

• There’s debate around the “AI data center boom,” but Haroon argues the demand will be “monstrous.”
• “Electricity in, knowledge out, it is staggering...to get AI to that level, we’re not even close to the expenditures needed.” — 04:28

4. Navigating the Political and Regulatory Landscape

[05:36]

• DG Matrix stays “apolitical,” focusing on “American exceptionalism and creativity.”
• Recognizes need to address community concerns around data center siting, while defending the societal benefits of AI.
• “You might find the cure for cancer, you might find 200 other protein-based cures that come out of AI. You can’t stop that progress.” — Haroon Inam, 06:04

5. Evangelizing and Educating the Market

[07:37]

• Haroon stresses the importance of educating customers and policymakers on the benefits and efficiency of their solution:
  • “At the end of the day, the green in cleantech is the profit we’ll bring them because we’re doing things with less material in a more efficient manner.”

6. Go-to-Market Strategy and Channel Partnerships

[08:30]

• Directly pursuing large enterprise deals to build credibility.
• Strategic alliances: ABB, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are investors; major channel partners like PowerSecure help them scale.
• Multi-pronged distribution: Combining direct sales, partnerships with engineering, procurement, & construction (EPC) firms, and channel partners for credibility and reach.

7. Closing Massive Enterprise Deals: The Crawl-Walk-Run Sequence

[15:17]

• Large deals begin with deep technical scrutiny and skepticism—buyers don’t accept bold claims at face value.
• Requirements for conversion:
  • Demonstrable Technology (pilots, field results)
  • Team Pedigree
  • Operational and Legal Structures
  • Risk Mitigation Processes
  • “There’s some disbelief that you have to overcome...You have to show them the product, you have to show them the team, you have to show them the financing, you have to show operational pedigree, you have to have a framework of technical and commercial risk mitigation.” — Haroon Inam, 15:17
• Pilots/Trials: Deals are built stepwise—initial pilots (“crawl”), then broader deployments (“walk”), then full-scale contracts (“run”).
• Success relies on rapidly solving field issues and building trust over time.

8. Objection Handling as a Core Sales Tactic

[00:00] / [09:50]

• Haroon closes deals by methodically handling objections.
  • “When you listen to the objections from the customers, just note them down, don’t freak out and come back and methodically solve those things in a solid fashion.” — 00:00, 09:50
• Common objections:
  • Can DG Matrix deliver at gigawatt scale?
  • Is the system reliable and field-proven?
  • Is it bankable and insurable?
• Responses include leveraging aerospace pedigree, demonstration results, and working with insurers/banks through strategic partnerships and white-labeling with global conglomerates.

9. Bankability and Cybersecurity

[11:39]

• Critical to have comprehensive documentation and “cybersecurity thought out from day zero.”
• Energy security offerings must be robust against hacking and third-party interference.

10. Team Health and Hypergrowth Management

[12:23, 13:20]

• Post-funding, focus is on ramping up customer engagements and scaling rapidly without burning out the team.
• DG Matrix runs 24/7 operations with multiple shifts and encourages adequate rest and family time.
  • “When we see somebody getting burnt out, we encourage them to take extra days off...We want people to have a normal life because we think when they come to work happy and rested up, they'll be far more productive.” — Haroon Inam, 13:20

11. Deal Sizes, Growth Trajectory & Vision

[14:12, 14:43, 16:24]

• Current deal sizes: $50M to a few hundred million, driven by AI data center demand.
• Potential path to $1B revenue: Within 4-7 years, depending on adoption and scaling.
• Long-term vision: Distributed, cellular power as the new model for electrification, analogous to how cell phones disrupted legacy telephony.
  • “Bring your own power, make your own energy far cleaner and far more economical. Far more financially feasible.” — Haroon Inam, 16:24
  • Branding: The “infinite grid,” symbolized in DG Matrix's new logo as a play on infinity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Objection Handling as a Deal-Closer:

  • “I close deals by objection handling...note them down, don’t freak out and come back and methodically solve those things in a solid fashion.”
    — Haroon Inam, 00:00, 09:50

• On the Power Race for AI:

  • “Those that have electric power will get to superhuman intelligence first. The United States doesn’t have enough juice.”
    — Haroon Inam, 01:27

• On Market Opportunity:

  • “Global GDP, what is it? 100 trillion to use Nvidia CEOs numbers. 20% of that is services. 20 trillion a year. So it’s going to be a massive infrastructure spend...”
    — Haroon Inam, 04:28

• On Centralized vs. Distributed Power:

  • “The model of centralized power flow that was created 100 plus years ago...is not going to serve us in the future. What cellular telephony did to plain old telephone service, I think that’s what a solution like ours can do for electrification in the world.”
    — Haroon Inam, 16:24

• On Team Wellbeing in Hypergrowth:

  • “Life is short, and not everybody wants to spend it working for behind the Meter Power Solutions.”
    — Haroon Inam, 12:23

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|-------| | 01:27 | How DG Matrix pivoted to AI data centers & the core problem | | 03:29 | Limits of legacy power infrastructure and the “cellular” power vision | | 05:36 | Handling political pressure and evangelizing AI’s societal benefits | | 08:30 | Go-to-market approach; importance of credibility and channel partners | | 09:50 | The importance of objection handling in enterprise sales | | 11:39 | Bankability, insurability, and cybersecurity for critical infrastructure | | 12:23 | Managing hypergrowth and burnout in the team | | 14:12 | Deal sizes and business scaling targets | | 15:17 | Anatomy of a $100M+ deal: crawl-walk-run and building enterprise trust | | 16:24 | Big picture future for distributed cellular power and the “infinite grid” |

Follow DG Matrix

• dgmatrix.com
• LinkedIn: Search “DG Matrix” or “Haroon Inam”
• Look out for their upcoming new branding featuring the “infinite grid” logo

This episode gives a blueprint for startups in hard tech or B2B sectors wrestling with skeptical, risk-averse enterprise buyers, providing a real-world playbook to go from pilot to industry standard by embracing pilots, handling objections head-on, and building bold, scalable visions — all while caring for the team that makes it possible.