Despite decades of research on quantum algorithms, it is not yet clear how to best use a quantum computer to generate direct value for an end user. In this talk, I describe the journey that the algorithms team at Xanadu has pursued in identifying key application areas for quantum computing. This includes a summary of our overall strategy, which is a relatively unique approach within the quantum computing industry. I will then showcase our latest research on quantum algorithms for battery simulation. The talk concludes with an overview of theoretical challenges and open questions that likely will need to be solved to find truly useful quantum algorithms.