Hardware Podcasts

Dakota Welker | User Needs, Design Inputs, Verification & Validation

Being an Engineer · 25 Sept 2026 · 43m · Episode 40

What this episode covers

Dakota Welker, founder of Think MedTek, explains his four-phase product development methodology for medical device startups, emphasizing user needs, design inputs, verification, and validation. He details how he rescues stalled projects by clarifying scope and documentation, and describes a specific case where bringing manufacturing in-house and negotiating with multiple vendors reduced costs by 50%. Welker also discusses his transition from automotive and pneumatics to medical devices, his focus on CFD tools like Simscale, and the importance of balancing engineering rigor with client communication.

Most relevant to

founders before launch

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Think MedTek
Tools
SimScale, Ansys
Also
Purdue University, Lean Startup, Upwork, FDA

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