Russ Angold | Exoskeletons, VR Fitness, and Starting Hardware Companies

Being an Engineer · 17 Feb 2023 · 51m · Episode 7

What this episode covers

Russ Angold, co-founder of Ethereal Matter and former co-founder of Ekso Bionics, discusses the evolution of hardware startups from DARPA-funded military exoskeletons to medical devices and immersive VR fitness. He details the technical challenges of interfacing with human variability, the importance of rapid prototyping to fail fast, and the financial terror of early-stage cash flow mismatches. Angold emphasizes the necessity of validating product-market fit with actual end-users and building psychological safety within engineering teams to solve complex problems.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies: Ekso Bionics, Ethereal Matter, DARPA, UC Berkeley, Sarcos, Lockheed Martin, McMaster-Carr, Pipeline Design & Engineering
Also: Scott Summit

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast15 May 2025 · 1h 21m
Ep. 39 - Starting a Hardware Company
Stephen Hawes and Lucian Chapa, founders of Opulo, discuss the realities of starting a hardware company, emphasizing the necessity of accepting failure and overcoming imposter syndrome. They share personal anecdotes about failed projects, such as a 3D scanner and wedding cake toppers, to illustrate that iteration is key. The hosts also detail their strategy for building traction through authentic social media content, specifically YouTube, and the importance of validating product-market fit by engaging directly with early users.
Starting a product company Validation & product-market fit
9 chapters
Predictable Designs Podcast24 Mar 2020 · 1h 03m
Succeeding in Hardware with Joshua Hsu of Introhm
Joshua Hsu, co-founder of the hardware startup Introhm, discusses developing a wearable fitness product for personal trainers and physical therapists. He details the company's pivot from smart clothing to a modular wearable system using an off-the-shelf development kit to validate the business model and avoid high custom hardware costs. Hsu explains their strategy of using 'Wizard of Oz' demos to test willingness to pay before building the final product, and outlines a phased distribution plan targeting gyms and insurance providers.
Validation & product-market fit Prototyping & iteration
5 chapters
The Hardware Entrepreneur8 Dec 2016 · 48m
#003 - From scientist to entrepreneur for holodeck technology, evaluating startups, with Bernhard Petermeier of World Economic Forum, Switzerland
Bernhard Petermeier, founder of CargoSoul and community leader at the World Economic Forum, discusses his journey from scientist to entrepreneur. He details the development of an omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality holodecks, the mistakes he made founding the company, and his current work evaluating high-potential startups. The conversation also covers funding strategies for hardware in Europe and the ethical implications of autonomous weapons.
Starting a product company Validation & product-market fit
7 chapters
The Hardware Story26 Jun 2024 · 1h 22m
Episode 1 - The Hardware Story of Inito w/ Aayush Rai | Building a B2C medical hardware company
Aayush Rai, Co-Founder and CEO of Inito, discusses building a B2C medical hardware company from Bangalore, India, targeting the US market with a home fertility monitoring device. He details the journey from prototyping with Arduino to navigating FDA regulations, securing $15M in funding through a unique angel-first strategy, and the critical pivot to focus exclusively on the iOS ecosystem to achieve product-market fit.
Fundraising & investors Certification & compliance
6 chapters
The Amp Hour6 Aug 2018 · 1h 36m
An Interview with Ben Einstein
Ben Einstein, founder of Bolt, explains how his firm supports early-stage hardware startups through deep technical involvement, including prototyping facilities in San Francisco and Boston. He details Bolt's investment strategy, which ranges from $100,000 to $1 million, focusing on helping founders navigate the transition from idea to engineering prototype (EP) while avoiding the pitfalls of over-engineering. Einstein emphasizes the importance of 'founder-market fit,' genuine networking, and building 'good enough' products quickly rather than pursuing perfection, citing the failure of Juicero as a cautionary tale of misaligned value propositions.
Starting a product company Fundraising & investors
11 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Being an Engineer. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.

Russ Angold | Exoskeletons, VR Fitness, and Starting Hardware Companies

What this episode covers

Most relevant to

Topics

Mentioned

Related episodes from other shows

Ep. 39 - Starting a Hardware Company

Succeeding in Hardware with Joshua Hsu of Introhm

#003 - From scientist to entrepreneur for holodeck technology, evaluating startups, with Bernhard Petermeier of World Economic Forum, Switzerland

Episode 1 - The Hardware Story of Inito w/ Aayush Rai | Building a B2C medical hardware company

An Interview with Ben Einstein