Afterschool Podcast, Episode 10 - Joey Roth (11/1)

Core77 Podcast · 4 Nov 2013 · 49m

What this episode covers

Joey Roth, founder of his eponymous design studio, discusses his Ceramic Speaker System, teapot, and poster series, explaining how his background in industrial design theory at Swarthmore College informs his 'reformed minimalist' approach. He details the transition from a student project to a business, driven by unexpected press coverage for his teapot which led to pre-orders and production in Asia. Roth explains his material choices for the speakers, specifically using porcelain for acoustic properties and aesthetic honesty, and his recent addition of wireless capability via an add-on unit to maintain sound quality. He emphasizes that his unique voice and focus on the user's ritual and interaction are the core drivers of his product development.

Mentioned

Companies
IDEO, frog, Dorbin Chatrit, Cool Hunting
Products
Ceramic Speaker System, teapot, Google Glass
Chips
Bluetooth, APT-X HD
Also
Joey Roth, Swarthmore College, Don Norman, Tapio Orvola, Robert Irwin

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Builder Circle · 11m

    The Pilot: Unveiling the Blueprint of "The Builder Circle"

    Sera Evcimen, host of The Builder Circle, explains her motivation for launching the podcast after mentoring startups at Techstars Paris and working on technologies like CubeSats and ion thrusters. She outlines the show's format, which includes case studies with founders like Bridget Hunter Jones and expert discussions with industry veterans such as Scott Miller. The episode details the podcast's unique value proposition, including 50-minute episodes with TL;DL summaries and a focus on actionable advice and failure analysis rather than just success stories.

  • Over the Air · 38m

    Intrapreneurship, Internal Incubation, Spinoffs, and IoT Product Development

    Bob Marshall, Founder and CEO of Whisker Labs, and Joe McNulty, SVP of Product and Partnerships, discuss the origin of their product Ting, an IoT device that detects electrical fire hazards. Marshall explains how the company spun out of Earth Networks after a personal tragedy motivated the team to apply their lightning detection technology to home safety. They detail the engineering challenges of isolating micro-arcing signals from household noise and the strategic decision to simplify the product from a complex panel-mounted sensor to a simple plug-in device for consumer adoption.

  • 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.

  • How I Built This · 55m

    Live Episode! Clubhouse: Paul Davison and Rohan Seth

    Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, co-founders of the social audio app Clubhouse, discuss their journey from previous failed startups to building a platform that capitalized on the pandemic's demand for virtual connection. They detail the technical and social challenges of their earlier location-based app Highlight, the personal tragedy that led Rohan to found the Lydian Accelerator, and the iterative product development that transformed their initial 'Talk Show' concept into Clubhouse's live, ephemeral audio rooms. The founders also address the complexities of moderating live group audio, managing rapid scaling, and maintaining focus amidst intense competition from tech giants.

  • Over the Air · 32m

    Building a Connected Musical Instrument with Rafael Atijas of Loog Guitars

    Rafael Atijas, Founder and CEO of Loog Guitars, explains how the company evolved from a Kickstarter-funded 3-string guitar for kids into a broader educational platform. He details the product design choice of using three strings to accommodate small hands and the strategic decision to target parents as the primary customer while keeping the experience engaging for children. Atijas discusses the company's pricing and wholesale challenges, the use of audio-recognition technology in their companion app instead of Bluetooth, and their upcoming expansion into pianos and storytelling-based content.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Core77 Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.