Ep 1: The hard truth about building design team

Build 2 Create: Hardware Founder Stories · 8 Jan 2026 · 1h 02m · Episode 1

What this episode covers

VyasTeja Rao and Divya Rao, founders of Analogy Design Studio, discuss their 10+ year journey from a garage in the US to a global industrial design firm in India. They detail the company's evolution, including name changes from 'Arivu' and 'Artifact' to 'Analogy,' and their strategic decision to maintain a small, specialized team of under 30 people to avoid commoditization. The founders explain their hiring philosophy, centered on a 'no asshole policy' and a focus on ambition and speed, while defining industrial design as a commercial discipline deeply rooted in user psychology and manufacturing constraints.

Mentioned

Companies
Analogy Design Studio, Saleras, EVT
Tools
ChatGPT
Also
VyasTeja Rao, Divya Rao, Arivu, Artifact, Galit Saha, Zakir Khan, Fiverr, Wikipedia

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Designing in the Wild · 1h 01m

    Industrial Design, AI & the Business of Design with Jordan Nollman | S3E02

    Jordan Nollman, founder and CEO of Sprout, a Boston-based multidisciplinary design consultancy, discusses the evolution of industrial design from a solo practice to a 60-person studio offering strategy, branding, UX, and engineering. He details the business realities of running a consultancy, including the critical importance of retainers, the pitfalls of all-equity deals, and the strategic use of AI tools like VizCom to accelerate storyboarding and visualization without replacing core design thinking. Nollman emphasizes that while AI speeds up execution, the value lies in solving real-world problems, citing projects like a microplastics sensor and a solar-powered milk trolley that balance aesthetics, function, and sustainability.

  • Core77 Podcast · 55m

    Afterschool Podcast, Episode 1 - Rich Brilliant Willing

    Theo Richardson, Alex Williams, and Charles Brill, co-founders of the Brooklyn design studio Rich Brilliant Willing, discuss their journey from RISD graduates to running a furniture and lighting company. They explain how the 2008 financial crisis pushed them to bypass traditional licensing models and instead design and manufacture their own products, such as the XL Perch and Delta Fabric lamp series, to maintain speed and control. The founders detail their collaborative process, the shift from seasonal trade show launches to a more continuous product release strategy, and the challenges of maintaining their creative partnership while scaling the business.

  • Thoroughly Considered · 50m

    113: I Wasn’t Expecting Therapy Today

    Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost of Studio Neat discuss the production challenges of the Keen safety razor, specifically the assembly of tiny M1.4 screws and the surprising color preference data where orange leads black. They also reveal they have hired Jacob, a junior designer/engineer, to help scale operations, leading to a deep discussion on the psychological dynamics of receiving feedback, the importance of separating personal identity from design work, and the distinction between design as service versus art.

  • Hard Tech Podcast · 1h 51m

    Hatch Duo: Industrial Design, Navigating AI, Branding, Hardware Innovation | Hard Tech Podcast #16

    Michael Yim and Jonathan Tai, co-founders of Hatch Duo, an AI-enhanced industrial design and engineering studio, discuss their journey from bootstrapping to serving early-stage hardware startups. They detail their 'design capital' model, where they invest in-kind to help pre-seed companies build prototypes to secure funding, and explain how they blend human creativity with AI tools like FLO.ai to enhance efficiency. The conversation covers the importance of brand identity, the challenges of working with first-time founders, and their strategic use of social media for client acquisition.

  • Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast · 1h 40m

    Ep. 8 - Ryan from V1 Engineering

    Ryan Zellers, founder of V1 Engineering, explains how his passion for making things led to the creation of the Mostly Printed CNC (MPCNC) and the growth of his company. He details his journey from working at Robo 3D and a medical device firm to bootstrapping V1 Engineering from a garage, leveraging the Thingiverse community for design feedback and sales. Zellers discusses his deliberate choice to remain a solo operator, using automation and contractors to handle logistics while he focuses on product design and community engagement.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Build 2 Create: Hardware Founder Stories. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.