The Flywheel: Why This Gets Better for Everyone

In Part 1, I described the broken status quo: fragmentation, fees, gatekeeping. In Part 2, I introduced Texture's model: integrate once, permissionless, open spec.

But this isn't just about making integrations easier. It's about building something that compounds—and why getting in early matters.

#The Two-Sided Problem

Utilities want to enroll as many devices as possible. They're paying for grid flexibility, and they need it. Every device that could participate but doesn't is capacity left on the table.

OEMs want their devices eligible for as many programs as possible. Program eligibility directly drives sales. When a homeowner can earn $300+ per year by enrolling their battery in a virtual power plant (VPP)—a program where many distributed devices work together to support the grid—or get incentives for their smart thermostat or EV charger, that's a feature that closes deals.

But historically, both sides have been stuck in the same fragmented, high-friction ecosystem. Neither side can solve this alone.

#The Flywheel

Here's how the network effects work:

More OEMs on Texture → more device coverage for utilities.

When Texture supports more device manufacturers—batteries, thermostats, EV chargers—utilities don't have to worry about which devices their customers own. They just get capacity.

More device coverage → easier for utilities to say "yes" to Texture.

A utility evaluating Texture asks: "What percentage of devices in our territory can you reach?" The more OEMs we support, the better that answer is.

More utilities on Texture → more programs OEMs can access with one integration.

Every time we power a utility program, the value of your Texture integration increases. You didn't have to build anything new. You didn't have to negotiate anything. Your existing integration just became more valuable.

More programs → more incentive for OEMs to integrate.

As our program coverage expands, the ROI on integration increases for every OEM who hasn't integrated yet. The math just keeps getting better.

Repeat.

This isn't theoretical. We're already working with major device manufacturers across batteries, thermostats, and EV chargers. Every new utility program we power expands the value of their integration. Every new OEM that joins makes the platform more attractive to utilities.

#Why This Matters for OEMs

Let me be direct about what this means for you:

Every new utility on Texture is a new market you can access without building another integration. We just announced a program with a utility in the Northeast. Every OEM on our platform is now eligible for that program. Zero additional work required.

The value of your Texture integration increases every time we add a program. This is the opposite of most enterprise software, where the value is fixed at purchase. Here, the value compounds over time.

Early movers get access to a growing network—not a static list. If you integrate now, you get everything we have today plus everything we add tomorrow.

If you wait, your competitors who integrated earlier will already be in programs you're scrambling to access. They'll have the track record. They'll have the customer success stories. They'll be the default.

#Why Utilities Want This Too

Here's something worth understanding: utilities want to support more OEMs. They're not gatekeeping out of malice—they're resource-constrained. A utility running a demand response program doesn't want to pick winners. They want every homeowner with a qualifying device to participate.

But every OEM relationship means another MSA to negotiate, another set of terms to review, another vendor to manage. Multiply that across dozens of device manufacturers, and you're looking at a full-time job just managing partnerships.

When Texture handles both the technical and commercial complexity, utilities can say "yes" to everyone on our platform. This is why utilities actively want us to expand OEM coverage—it means they don't have to turn away participants who bought the "wrong" device. It means they hit their enrollment targets.

The more OEMs on the platform, the more valuable it becomes for utilities. The more utilities join, the more valuable it becomes for OEMs. That's the flywheel.

And for your sales team: when program eligibility becomes table stakes instead of a differentiator, competition shifts to where it should be—hardware quality, customer experience, price. If you're confident in your product, you should want this world.

#The Competitive Angle

Here's the uncomfortable truth about the current market:

Right now, program eligibility is a competitive moat for OEMs with big integration teams. It's not because they have better hardware. It's because they can afford the integration tax. They have the lawyers. They have the dedicated partnership managers. They have the engineering resources to maintain dozens of integrations.

That's not competition on product quality. That's competition on bureaucratic capacity.

When that moat disappears—when any OEM can access any program through a single integration—competition shifts to where it should be. Product quality. Customer experience. Price. The things that actually matter to homeowners.

If you're confident in your product, you should want this world.

And if your competitive advantage has been your integration reach rather than your hardware? That advantage is about to get a lot easier to match.

#The Bigger Picture

The energy transition requires massively more DERs on the grid. More batteries. More EVs. More solar. More devices participating in grid services.

We can't get there if every OEM-to-platform connection requires lawyers and months of negotiation. The integration tax isn't just inefficient—it's a bottleneck on growth.

Removing friction from this ecosystem is good for the grid. It's also good for OEMs selling into a market that's about to get a lot bigger.

#What We're Building Toward

A world where OEMs compete on hardware quality and customer experience, not integration status.

A world where utilities can enroll any device, from any manufacturer, into any program.

A world where your sales team never has to say "sorry, we're not integrated with that utility's program yet."

That's the goal. The flywheel is how we get there.

#Get Started

Two paths to integration:

If you have an existing cloud API, we can build the integration for you—you don't lift a finger. If you prefer to own it, the spec is public and you can implement directly. Either way: telemetry every 5-15 minutes, respond to control signals, and you're live.

The spec is public: texturehq.com/oem/spec

The terms are standard: texturehq.com/legal/integration-terms

No NDA. No lawyers. No permission required.

The flywheel is already turning. The question is whether you're on it.

This is Part 3 of a three-part series on OEM integration. ← Part 1: The Integration Tax | ← Part 2: Integrate Once, Access Everything

Questions? Reach out at oem@texturehq.com or find us at DistribuTech.