Fika Bytes: Hardware Founder Stories

✍️ Show NotesIn this episode, we get an inside look into the mind of a high performing Big Tech engineer-turned hardware founder. Dhaval Patel began his career at Apple, working through the ranks from an intern all the way to senior manager. At one point, he started to feel the itch to build his own product - and so he made the leap. What gave him the confidence in starting from scratch? How did he know the problem he was solving was worth solving? What did Apple teach him? All that and more in this insightful episode.🔗 getlotus.com🔑 Bytes:If you are worried about leaving your Big Tech job, remember this: you can always come back. Going the other way is a lot harder - the longer you wait, the tighter the golden handcuffs.Designing products for accessbility doesn't necessarily limit your product to a specific audience. Design for accessibility to create an intuitive, easy-to-use product for all.At the risk of starting to sound like a broken record... Talk to your customers! Especially early on, doesn't matter if you're the founder, CEO, whatever, get on 1:1 calls with your customers. The key insight is: listen to their problems, not the solutions they may offer.📖 Chapters00:00 Introduction to Dhaval and Lotus00:28 The Genesis of Lotus: Solving Personal Challenges02:01 Dhaval's Journey at Apple: From Intern to Manager06:20 Transitioning from Big Tech to Startups11:05 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Timing in Entrepreneurship16:43 Skills Gained at Apple and Their Application in Startups23:33 The Importance of Seeking Expertise24:54 Embracing Efficiency Over Perfection29:54 The Journey of Prototyping and User Feedback37:46 Human-Centered Design: Listening to Users42:15 Vision for Lotus: Telekinesis ProductizedKeywords: startup, product development, human-centered design, founder journey, technology, innovation, consumer hardware, disability solutions, entrepreneurship, user feedback

✍️ Show NotesMark Condon built the iPupPee device to address a very personal pain point he felt with his chocolate lab, Champ. Not long after he started sharing his product with the people around him, he realized that what he had built had much bigger, life-saving possibilities within the service dog community.🔗 iPupPee.com🔗 @ipuppee on Instagram🔑 Bytes:- Be willing to listen to the market and take your product where it can have the most impact, even if it means a pivot and rebranding.- Accept that you may not be an expert in certain fields and be humble, but don't waver on your confidence about your strengths.- The importance of putting yourself out there comes across in how the number of opportunities coming your way drastically multiply when you do so.📖 Chapters00:00 Introduction to iPupPee and Its Inspiration02:53 Mark's Entrepreneurial Journey and Background05:37 Navigating Hesitations as a Non-Technical Founder08:44 The Pivot to Service Dog Training11:32 The Importance of Market Feedback14:16 Challenges in Transitioning to Service Dog Space17:13 Growth Strategies and Future Plans for iPuppy19:57 Testing and Development of the iPuppy Device22:48 Creating Opportunities Through Networking25:36 Marketing Strategies for iPuppy28:28 Financial Insights for Hardware Founders🔍 KeywordsiPupPee, dog training, service dogs, entrepreneurship, hardware startup, product development, marketing strategies, financial planning, non-technical founders, pet technology

✍️ Show NotesJana Rieger of Breth Tech is a clinician-scientist who turned her research into a hardware product, co-founding and becoming CEO of True Angle. She shares her story and her passion to see more research outcomes turning into useful consumer products🔗 Breth Tech: the Fitbit of breathwork🔗 @bretchtech on Instagram🔑 BytesThink specifically about the people you are helping and let them form your Go To Market strategy. Just because you're in health tech doesn't mean you should exclusively sell to healthcare providers.A winning recipe for an academia-turned-founder is a combination of science, engineering, and business knowledge. You don't have to be an expert in all three, but be curious and open to learning.Universities are increasingly supporting their research labs with startup accelerator support. If you're in a research lab, think of real world impacts of your work.📖 Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background03:03 Starting True Angle: From Research to Commercialization07:33 Overcoming Hesitation and Building Confidence09:10 Development of the Mobili-T Product11:32 The Importance of Smart Wearables in Rehabilitation13:11 Improving Adherence and Patient Outcomes14:22 From Idea to Product: The Development of True Angle18:45 Navigating the Medical Device Market: Challenges and Strategies23:39 Breath Tech: Expanding the Potential of Breath Work33:00 Bridging the Gap: Universities and Commercialization of Research35:51 Exploring Jana's Story and Its ImpactKeywords: technology, founder, hardware, entrepreneurship, medical devices, startup, breathwork, hardtech, academic research, product development

✍️ Show NotesNaom graduated from an Ivy League and was scrolling through his 'Ideas' notes page trying to figure out what he wanted to do next when he decided to create a heated vibration massager to help his jaw pain. This is the story of how he built the product and the business, myTMJ Relief.🔗 Noam’s YouTube - great example of building hardware in public (https://www.youtube.com/@noamaiz)🔗 myTMJrelief.com (https://mytmjrelief.com/)🔑 Bytes:* Noam’s approach to learning skills you don’t have: use the wealth of resources freely available, build the thing, and get feedback from experts before you finalize it.* Why share your journey with "Build in Public"? To create a sense of community, transparency, and brand credibility * Ideation is a skill that can be developed over time; it’s not just a stroke of pure luck.📖 Chapters:00:00 Understanding TMJ and its prevalence07:47 Developing a product for TMJ relief11:58 Challenges in design and manufacturing19:32 Building in public and connecting with customers26:27 Advice for aspiring hardware founders#podcast #productdevelopment #hardware #founder #tmjdisorder #ideation #engineering #startup #smallbusiness #technology #entrepreneurship #tech #startup

✍️ Show NotesCarter Fowler, CEO & co-founder of Totem Labs, shares the incredible journey of going viral and building hardware tech for music festivals. Carter shares valuable lessons in building not only a brand, but also an engaged community of loyal fans, with thoughtful product design and exceptional customer service.🔗 Article about where Totem is at today🔗 totemlabs.com🔑 Bytes:In the beginning, do the things that don’t scale - e.g. The CEO responding to Instagram DMs and talking 1:1 to potential customers about their experience.The shorter the brand message, the easier it is to explain new tech to someone.  e.g. The word 'compass' leverages ancient knowledge to effectively communicate the concept of location finding.When you’re doing customer research, your product DOESN’T MATTER. The only thing that matters is the customer, and the problem they are facing.📖 Chapters:00:00 The Origin Story of Totem Labs11:23 Creating a Brand for the Music Festival Community15:42 The Importance of Founder Market Fit25:56 The Story of Going Viral35:37 Creating Screen-Free and App-Free Products36:17 Integrating with Festivals and Events40:23 Revolutionizing the Attendee Experience#podcast #productdevelopment #hardware #founder #userengagement #branding #customerresearch #viral #marketing #musicfestivals #technology #entrepreneurship #startup

✍️ Show NotesMahesh Krishnamurthi, co-founder of Vayu Robotics, gives an inside look at the journey of creating an AI-powered delivery robot. Important questions we discuss: how to know when you have product market fit, how to grow a talented team, and how to know when you should raise money.🔑 Bytes:Prototyping should always start with off-the-shelf components to minimize cost and speed up development.There's a fine balance between confidence and arrogance when it comes to pitching investors - lead with humility and quiet confidence.Be cautious if you're raising capital before you hit the flywheel of product market fit.🔗 Check out Vayu Robotics: ⁠vayurobotics.comChapters00:00 Introduction to Vayu Robotics03:18 Ideal Customer Profile06:04 Iterative Prototyping Process08:45 Transition to Proprietary Technology10:35 Co-Founders and Backgrounds12:02 Building a Team with Complementary Skills14:26 Soft Skills and Team Culture17:48 Raising Capital and Investor Advice21:00 Deciding to Raise Money or Bootstrap22:36 Future Plans and Vision

✍️ Show NotesTobias Butler shares his journey of building Tuneshine, blending software and hardware. He talks about the challenges of switching to hardware, the importance of prototyping, and what he learned along the way. He also dives into supplier relationships, scaling smart, and the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship—all while finding joy in creating something meaningful.🔗 Check out Tuneshine: tuneshine.rocks🔗 Follow on Instagram: @tuneshine.rocks🔑 Bytes: Understanding the assembly process helps in improving design. It's important to focus on growing the business, not just building products. Creating a physical product can bring joy and delight!Chapters:00:00 Intro01:26 From Prototype to Production07:06 Navigating the Hardware Development Journey09:43 Building a User-Centric Product12:40 The Role of Software in Hardware15:46 Feedback and Iteration18:19 Scaling Production and Supplier Relationships20:59 The Transition from Artisan to Entrepreneur23:37 Future Aspirations and Growth StrategiesKeywordsTuneshine, hardware development, prototyping, production, entrepreneurship, software engineering, supplier relationships, product design, startup journey, founder stories

✍️ Show Notes Joining us this week is Ethan Pollak, co-founder of Pulse Device, a small nifty device that incorporates the idea of muscle tapping to help you get the most of your weightlifing workouts. Ethan quit his job in finance to go full-time on his idea, partnering with a design studio and building his network along the way. As a non-technical founder, he shares a lot of valuable insights into how he brought this hardware to life by being consistent, helpful, and always willing to learn. 🔗 Check out Pulse Device: pulsedevice.com 🔗 Give their IG a follow: @pulsedevice 🔑 Bytes: Have a solid plan ahead of time, and don't expect overnight success. Take a value-add approach to networking: Reach out to interesting people and always add value. If you're a perfectionist and it's getting in the way of shipping your product, think of 5 everyday products that you (and millions around the world) use. You can probably think of a few things that need improvement right? So ship your product and then build upon it. Keywords: hardware, tech, entrepreneur, startup, founder, fitness, fittech, product development

✍️ Show Notes: Loewen Cavill joins us this week to share her story as the founder and CEO of Amira, a health tech company helping women unlock their full potential. We touch on all things product development including prototyping, meeting manufacturers, and raising venture capital. It's an exciting time for Amira as they begin to ramp up manufacturing and start seeing their product improve lives around the world. 🔗 Check them out here: www.amira.care 🔑 Bytes: If you're a curious person, be disciplined about where your curiosity goes, and trust your team. Prioritize face to face conversations when building relationships, like initially reaching out to manufacturers. Don't get caught up in R&D before you prove your core business proposition, focus on building a sustainable business with revenue prioritized. 🔍 Keywords: product development, hardware, wearable, prototyping, manufacturing, founder story, women's health, hotflash

✍️ Show Notes Cade Spector was just a sophmore in college when his brother tragically took his own life due to substance abuse. With no formal engineering or business background, Cade knew he had to find a way to honor his brother's legacy, and he has done exactly that. He is now a college graduate working full-time on GreySun Technologies, and is gearing up to run a Kickstarter campaign and help improve people's relationship with alcohol. 🔑 Bytes: When two things that don't usually go together, go together, there's an opportunity. Example: safety and fun. Reach out to family and friends as a strong support system for initial feedback and testing. Keep high standards for quality but at the same time don't get paralyzed seeking perfection. 🔗 Reserve yours at ⁠get.greysuntechnologies.com⁠ 🔗 Check out ⁠Greysun Technologies⁠ 🔍 Keywords: product development, business, hardware, technology, startup, tech, hardtech, engineering

Jon Fawcett created Sugar Pixel: He saw a problem at home, solved it for his family, and then discovered it would help millions of people around the globe. ✍️ Show Notes: Jon Fawcett went from running an engineering design company to accidentally creating an iPhone accessories company that shipped globally. He then channeled all those learnings into Sugar Pixel, his newest creation that provides reliable, phone-free, blood glucose monitoring and alerts, aiming to help improve the lives of millions of people around the world. 🔑 Bytes: Solve your own problem, so you will know the product best instead of spending money on focus groups or upfront customer research. To create awareness and demand, go where your users are. In Jon's case, Facebook support groups knew the pain point well and gave Sugar Pixel virality with just two posts! Whatever past experience and knowledge you have, use it to your advantage! It will give you an edge in one way or another. For everything else, use the Internet. 🔎 Keywords: product development, engineering, SugarPixel, continuous glucose monitors, alarm system, audible alerts, visual alerts, vibration alerts, randomized audio tones, vibration patterns, habituation, hardware, iPhone accessories, manufacturing, distribution, solving real needs, future roadmap

✍️ Show Notes: While working from home during COVID, Greg Klein wanted to sit on the floor. But he couldn't find a desk that actually allowed for that. So, he scratched his own itch and brought to life the world's first electric floor-sitting to standing desk. Listen to Greg's entrepreneurship journey as well as his advice for those looking to build and sell their own hardware products. 🔑 Bytes: Get validation as early as you can by talking to everyone around you. Don't hide your product idea behind polished design and marketing - get true validation! It's lonely being a founder, and even more so in consumer hardware, so if you don't have a co-founder, find mentors and other founders in a similar space - most are happy to give advice! Unforseen costs are always going to come up, especially in hardware dev, so give yourself some buffer. 🔎 Keywords: Uppeal Design, mobility, workspace, standing desk, differentiation, validation, manufacturing, shipping, customer needs, wellness, hardware, consumer

✍️ Show Notes: Dan Casciato and his team at Lightbrite are building mostly in stealth, but Dan has some strong perspectives on the interplay between engineering and the Earth - our environment, our home, and our place in it. This is a thought-provoking episode about sustainable product development. 🔑 Bytes: There's no work life and personal life. There is only one life. Make sure the problem you're solving is truly worth solving. Is it worth the externalities? Think about Right Action, not Reaction. 🔎 Keywords: mental health, emotional well-being, mindfulness, sound and vibration, technology, engineering, communication, sustainability, manufacturing, holistic approach

Greg from Helight joins this week and talks about his background as an audio engineer, and how that translates over to light engineering, as well as some of the challenges and lessons learned while building and shipping Helight (over 70,000 units sold in the past few years!). The science behind this is fascinating, and what really caught my attention was their attention to customer detail. Greg flat out says “if we can’t help you, we don’t want your money” which is the only way to approach consumer health tech! 🔗 Check out Helight at helight.com 🔑 Bytes: Focus on your core expertise for the problem you’re solving. Packaging, charging, etc are important but first find validation by focusing on your core offering. After initial launch, listen to your customers to figure out what’s next on the roadmap Be as precise as possible with your product requirements doc up front! Know what you want to have better conversations with vendors and suppliers. Keywords: #startups #hardware #prototyping #engineering #productdevelopment #podcast

Karl joins us with his amazing storytelling to share how he manifested fun and wonder into his latest invention, the Truest North Compass. 🔗 Check out truestnorthcompass.com 🔑 Bytes: Do childish things with an adult focus and energy :) Use storytelling to capture your audience and truly reach them. Find your core principle (e.g. not another app) and problem-solve around it (mobile browser)

Mitch joins the show this week to talk about his journey hopping between corporate and startups, and now starting his own venture — GreenPWR. His first product, the SunHopper-D, aims to utilize existing water tanks as thermal batteries. Their goal is to make products that work with renewable energy sources when available, and fall back to other sources if needed. 🔑 Bytes: Look for inspiration from your studies to find business opportunities. Try to put all critical functionality in hardware (programmable or otherwise). Know what you're getting into when it comes to certification. 🔗 Learn more at greenpwr.com Chapters (thanks AI) 00:00 Introduction and Overview of Green Power 08:48 Mitch's Journey in the Renewable Energy Space 16:23 Lessons Learned in Startups and Corporate 29:06 Targeting Installers and Educating Consumers

This week I'm chatting with Jonathan, who is reimagining fitness tracking specifically for sports in order to measure things like steps, jumps, and pivots. The origin story is a fun one - sometimes building hardware just happens serendipitously! Takeaways: Go after the underserved. For example: Fitness tracking for youth sports. Think about who the purchasing decision maker is for your product. In this case: parents & coaches. Build a community to empower users to compare their data with friends, creating a sense of competition and motivation. 🔗 Check out Laceclips at laceclips.com (Sorry for the audio - this is the last episode without a real mic! Thanks for being here so early on my journey ❤️) Chapters (thanks AI) 00:00 Introduction and Product Overview 01:34 Target Audience and Market Need 04:53 Sports-Specific Tracking 05:49 Differentiating Factors and Software Features 07:16 Competition and Motivation 08:46 Coaches and Team Usage 10:26 Personal Impact and Data Analysis 12:27 Manufacturing and Production 14:35 Customer Feedback and Iterative Process 23:55 Challenges and Advice for Hardware Startups 31:52 Expanding Beyond Sports and GPS Integration 33:01 Where to Find More Information and Support Keywords: hardware, engineering, product development, business, fitness, tracking, wearables, sensors

The dynamic duo, Alex & Ian join me from Ganance, where they're bringing fitness metrics to classic watches, combining sensor tech with stylish choices. We dig into the inspiration and ideation process as well as some really technical details with fellow firmware engineer Ian. My 3 takeaways: Find a partner that can immediately share your vision. It's worth waiting for the right person. Data collection and refinement is an ongoing process - so OTA updates are key to continually improve the customer experience. Battery life shouldn't be an afterthought! Plan for it from the architecture. Get your own at https://www.ganance.com Chapters (thanks AI): 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:05 Meeting and Partnership 03:23 Hardware Development and Decision-making 04:35 Iterative Development and Planning 06:16 Target Market and Customer Profile 08:28 Addressing Style and Fashion 10:20 Hardware Components and Communication 12:23 Discussion on Zephyr RTOS 14:22 Tap Detection and Sensor Optimization 16:54 Future Plans and Gen 2 Development 25:09 Architecture and Communication 26:48 Gen 1 and Gen 2 Plans 29:20 Battery Life Optimization 32:12 Business Goals for the New Year 33:30 Partnerships with Watch Brands 34:00 Conclusion and Thank You Keywords: wearable tech, smartwatch, activity tracker, traditional watch, firmware, Zephyr, Nordic, hardware, battery life

Sam joins us on Fika Bytes this week to talk about developing the sun-a-wear UV tracker going from prototyping to production. My favorite part was what he decided to do when they were having difficulty getting a battery into the design... Listen to the episode to find out what he did. My 3 Takeaways: -Good engineering follows the rules. Great engineering knows the rules well enough to bend them. -Think about specifically how your customer will use this device when making design decisions. -Use off-the-shelf parts to validate your idea before going to custom designs. Chapters (thanks AI) 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:54 The SunAware UV Tracker 01:46 The Importance of UV Radiation 02:08 Motivation for Building the SunAware UV Tracker 05:39 Prototyping the SunAware UV Tracker 09:01 Trade-offs in Prototyping 09:31 The Value of Rapid PCB Prototyping 10:23 The Challenge of Battery Charging 11:08 Innovative Solar Power Solution 12:14 Exploring Specialized Components 13:03 Making Design Decisions 14:18 The Importance of Thinking Outside the Box 14:46 The Engineer's Journey 15:58 The Challenge of Firmware Updates 17:33 Future Plans for Over-the-Air Updates 18:21 Exploring Solid-State Batteries 19:22 Advantages of Solid-State Batteries 21:03 Building a Support System in the Hardware Ecosystem 23:54 Embracing the Strengths of a Small Company 24:31 Considerations for Design and Manufacturing 26:50 The Importance of Part Availability 27:49 Hidden Synergies in Component Selection 30:37 The Fun of Engineering and Deep Diving into Design 30:59 Where to Follow SunAware

Nick from Calibrex talks about combining his passion for fitness and hardware into this pocket-sized coach. 3 Things To Takeaway A crowdsourced feature board to gather ideas from users and prioritize development Offload heavy computation to the phone app so the device can be lean, mean, and efficient Take care of your first customers. Handwritten notes, special features, and access to exclusive perks. They'll do the marketing for you. Get your own at ⁠⁠calibrex.com⁠ Chapters (thanks AI) 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:01 Creating a Fitness Tracker for Weightlifters 08:16 The Importance of Personalization and Customer Engagement 11:46 Challenges in Building the First Version 13:32 Power Management and Hardware Design 21:13 Improvements in Calibrex 2 and User Feedback 24:21 Crowdsourced Feature Board and User Engagement 29:32 Raising Capital and Scaling the Business 31:42 Advice for Entrepreneurs in Hardware