# Matty Schaefer: YouTube Fame, Surveillance Tech, Solving City Congestion | Hard Tech Podcast #18

- Show: [Hard Tech Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast)
- Published: 2024-05-12
- Length: 2h 09m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-05-12-matty-schaefer-youtube-fame-surveillance-tech-solving-city-congestion-hard-tech
- Listen: https://rss.com/podcasts/hardtechpodcast/1471147

## Summary

Matty Schaefer, founder and former CEO of Vade, discusses his journey from building a successful tech review YouTube channel, MS Tech, to solving urban congestion through smart parking technology. He explains how Vade uses wireless, solar-powered cameras to provide real-time curb data to cities, addressing the mismatch between parking supply and modern delivery/rideshare demand. Schaefer details the technical challenges of building proprietary hardware and computer vision models, the strategic decision to pivot from a consumer app to a B2G data provider, and his eventual decision to sell the company after five years of intense startup life.

## Chapters

- [0:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-05-12-matty-schaefer-youtube-fame-surveillance-tech-solving-city-congestion-hard-tech#t=3) Introduction: Matty Schaefer and Vade
- [1:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-05-12-matty-schaefer-youtube-fame-surveillance-tech-solving-city-congestion-hard-tech#t=69) MS Tech YouTube Channel Origins and Growth
- [11:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-05-12-matty-schaefer-youtube-fame-surveillance-tech-solving-city-congestion-hard-tech#t=702) YouTube Ecosystem Evolution and Creator Trends
- [21:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-05-12-matty-schaefer-youtube-fame-surveillance-tech-solving-city-congestion-hard-tech#t=1291) The Psychology of Online Fame and Burnout
- [32:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-05-12-matty-schaefer-youtube-fame-surveillance-tech-solving-city-congestion-hard-tech#t=1957) Pivoting from YouTube to Founding Vade
- [1:00:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-05-12-matty-schaefer-youtube-fame-surveillance-tech-solving-city-congestion-hard-tech#t=3638) Vade's Technology: Wireless Cameras and Computer Vision
- [1:29:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-05-12-matty-schaefer-youtube-fame-surveillance-tech-solving-city-congestion-hard-tech#t=5369) Urban Congestion, Curb Management, and Policy
- [1:43:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-05-12-matty-schaefer-youtube-fame-surveillance-tech-solving-city-congestion-hard-tech#t=6210) Startup Operations, Location, and Exit Strategy

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Vade (company)
- MS Tech (product)
- MKBHD (other)
- Unbox Therapy (other)
- Raspberry Pi (chip)
- Google Maps (product)
- Amazon (company)
- Uber (company)
- DoorDash (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [The Waste Management Industry with Jeff Satwicz, Co-Founder of Bigbelly](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2022-06-23-the-waste-management-industry-with-jeff-satwicz-co-founder-of-bigbelly) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Stripe: Patrick and John Collison (2018)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-09-stripe-patrick-and-john-collison-2018) (How I Built This)
- [Garrett McCurrach and Canon Reeves (Co-Founders, Pipedream Labs)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2025-12-17-garrett-mccurrach-and-canon-reeves-co-founders-pipedream-labs) (Just Gonna Send It)
- [The Promises of Tech with Scott Hanselman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2025-08-15-the-promises-of-tech-with-scott-hanselman) (Oxide and Friends)
- [Lyft: John Zimmer (2017)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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