# Ep 1: The hard truth about building design team

- Show: [Build 2 Create: Hardware Founder Stories](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories)
- Published: 2026-01-08
- Length: 1h 02m
- Episode: 1
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories/2026-01-08-ep-1-the-hard-truth-about-building-design-team
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/analogy-design/episodes/Ep-1-The-hard-truth-about-building-design-team-e3dbn7l

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories/2026-01-08-ep-1-the-hard-truth-about-building-design-team#t=30) Introduction: VyasTeja and Divya Rao of Analogy Design Studio
- [1:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories/2026-01-08-ep-1-the-hard-truth-about-building-design-team#t=103) The Naming Journey: From Arivu to Analogy
- [7:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories/2026-01-08-ep-1-the-hard-truth-about-building-design-team#t=424) Founding Story: Moving from the US to India in 2012
- [11:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories/2026-01-08-ep-1-the-hard-truth-about-building-design-team#t=676) Sustaining Growth: Avoiding Burnout and Rapid Scaling
- [22:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories/2026-01-08-ep-1-the-hard-truth-about-building-design-team#t=1320) Art vs. Design: Why India Lacks a Singular Design Language
- [30:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories/2026-01-08-ep-1-the-hard-truth-about-building-design-team#t=1830) Hiring Strategy: The No Asshole Policy and 15-Minute Interviews
- [41:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories/2026-01-08-ep-1-the-hard-truth-about-building-design-team#t=2503) Defining Industrial Design: User Psychology and Manufacturing
- [52:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/build-2-create-hardware-founder-stories/2026-01-08-ep-1-the-hard-truth-about-building-design-team#t=3124) The Future of Design: AI, Sustainability, and EVT

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Analogy Design Studio (company)
- VyasTeja Rao (other)
- Divya Rao (other)
- Arivu (other)
- Artifact (other)
- ChatGPT (tool)
- Galit Saha (other)
- Zakir Khan (other)
- Saleras (company)
- EVT (company)
- Fiverr (other)
- Wikipedia (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Industrial Design, AI & the Business of Design with Jordan Nollman | S3E02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2026-10-07-industrial-design-ai-the-business-of-design-with-jordan-nollman-s3e02) (Designing in the Wild)
- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 1 - Rich Brilliant Willing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-08-19-afterschool-podcast-episode-1-rich-brilliant-willing) (Core77 Podcast)
- [113: I Wasn’t Expecting Therapy Today](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2024-06-27-113-i-wasnt-expecting-therapy-today) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [Hatch Duo: Industrial Design, Navigating AI, Branding, Hardware Innovation | Hard Tech Podcast #16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-03-20-hatch-duo-industrial-design-navigating-ai-branding-hardware-innovation-hard-tech) (Hard Tech Podcast)
- [Ep. 8 - Ryan from V1 Engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2023-11-09-ep-8-ryan-from-v1-engineering) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)

## Citing this page

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