# Scaling an IoT Business | Vutility's Stephen Prince | Internet of Things Podcast

- Show: [IoT For All Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast)
- Published: 2023-10-17
- Length: 24m
- Episode: 316
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iot-for-all/episodes/Scaling-an-IoT-Business--Vutilitys-Stephen-Prince--Internet-of-Things-Podcast-e2alhcn

## Summary

Stephen Prince, CEO of Vutility, discusses the challenges of scaling an IoT business, emphasizing the shift from broad horizontal strategies to deep vertical focus. He highlights specific hurdles in hardware scaling, including manufacturing origins and the high cost of professional installation labor. Prince explains that moving beyond pilot stages requires comprehensive partner ecosystems to deliver end-to-end solutions that prove clear economic ROI.

## Chapters

- [0:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast#t=34) Introduction: Stephen Prince and Vutility
- [2:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast#t=156) Scaling an IoT business
- [3:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast#t=209) What is unique about scaling an IoT business?
- [5:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast#t=352) Challenges of scaling hardware
- [10:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast#t=655) Importance of partners in successful IoT
- [11:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast#t=712) Moving beyond the pilot stage
- [15:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast#t=916) Horizontal vs vertical IoT solutions
- [20:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast#t=1202) How to succeed in IoT

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Vutility (company)
- Dane Studios (company)
- Centrica Business Solutions (company)
- Oracle (company)
- Edison International (company)
- Yanicos (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [197: Go From Hardware Startup to Scale Up](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-10-12-197-go-from-hardware-startup-to-scale-up) (Product Startup)
- [#014: Why Your IoT Project Still Hasn’t Taken Off — And How to Fix It](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it) (Coredump Sessions)
- [152: Three Main Problems When Scaling a Hardware Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-12-01-152-three-main-problems-when-scaling-a-hardware-startup) (Product Startup)
- [155: Down to Earth Digital Transformation Advice with Vatsal Shah](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-09-26-155-down-to-earth-digital-transformation-advice-with-vatsal-shah) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Violet Su on hardware manufacturing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-07-08-violet-su-on-hardware-manufacturing) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-10-17-scaling-an-iot-business-vutilitys-stephen-prince-internet-of-things-podcast. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to IoT For All Podcast.