# Meet The HIBT Fellows: Dinesh Tadepalli & Jennifer Zeitler

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2021-05-25
- Length: 24m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler

## Summary

Dinesh Tadepalli, co-founder of Incredible Eats, explains how he leveraged his semiconductor engineering background to automate the manufacturing of edible cutlery, using compression molding and trade-secret molds to solve the plastic pollution problem. Jennifer Zeitler, founder of Let's Goat Buffalo, describes her land management service that uses rescued goats and converted school buses to clear invasive plants without heavy machinery or chemicals. Both founders discuss their bootstrap financing strategies, including Tadepalli selling his home to fund machinery and Zeitler pricing her services competitively against traditional landscaping. They detail their pivot to retail and B2C channels during the pandemic, securing orders from major retailers and concert venues while navigating supply chain and operational challenges.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=0) Introduction: HIBT Fellows and Dinesh Tadepalli
- [1:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=73) Incredible Eats: The Idea and Engineering the Machine
- [3:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=232) Manufacturing Edible Cutlery: Ingredients and Process
- [6:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=363) Scaling Production and Bootstrap Financing
- [7:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=437) Sales Strategy: Trade Shows, Caterers, and Celebrities
- [10:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=628) Protecting IP and Pitching Workshops
- [14:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=890) Let's Goat Buffalo: Using Goats for Land Management
- [17:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=1025) Logistics: The Converted School Bus and Herding
- [21:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=1281) Pricing, Funding, and Future Scaling
- [24:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-25-meet-the-hibt-fellows-dinesh-tadepalli-jennifer-zeitler#t=1492) Conclusion: Resilience and Community Impact

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Incredible Eats (company)
- Let's Goat Buffalo (company)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- Live Nation (company)
- Big Idea Ventures (company)
- Intel (company)
- DJ's Group (company)

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- [Founder Feature: Dina DiCenso of RIND](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-06-06-founder-feature-dina-dicenso-of-rind) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Dip Into Paradise with Founder Emily Edwards](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2021-03-01-dip-into-paradise-with-founder-emily-edwards) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [25: Q&A](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2017-03-30-25-q-a) (Thoroughly Considered)
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