# Introducing: It's only a Prototype Podcast

- Show: [It's Only a Prototype](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype)
- Published: 2025-04-09
- Length: 5m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-09-introducing-its-only-a-prototype-podcast
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/phil-staunton/episodes/Introducing-Its-only-a-Prototype-Podcast-e3h2eob

## Summary

Phil Staunton, founder of product design consultancy D2M, and co-host Tom Constable introduce the 'It's Only a Prototype' podcast, which explores the messy realities of launching physical products. Staunton draws on 15 years of experience and his own failed product launch to highlight the high failure rate of hardware ventures, noting that even top investors see only one in ten successes. The hosts outline key upcoming topics, including re-shoring manufacturing from China, handling intellectual property issues, and dealing with cheap imitations.

## Chapters

- [0:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-09-introducing-its-only-a-prototype-podcast#t=9) Introduction: Phil Staunton and Tom Constable
- [0:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-09-introducing-its-only-a-prototype-podcast#t=33) Host Introductions and Backgrounds
- [1:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-09-introducing-its-only-a-prototype-podcast#t=92) Tom Constable's Role as the 'Idiot in the Room'
- [2:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-09-introducing-its-only-a-prototype-podcast#t=129) Motivation: Why Hardware Development is Hard
- [3:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-09-introducing-its-only-a-prototype-podcast#t=191) Critical Success Traits: Resilience and Humility
- [3:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-09-introducing-its-only-a-prototype-podcast#t=207) Upcoming Topics: Re-shoring, IP, and Imitations

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- D2M (company)
- John Lewis (company)
- Lord Iron Sugar (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [186: Sleeping on the Factory Floor](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-02-09-186-sleeping-on-the-factory-floor) (Embedded.fm)
- [S2E37 Defied the odds:  A Physical Product Development Firm That Focuses on Startups & Small Businesses, Mako Design + Invent –Kevin Mako](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-08-23-s2e37-defied-the-odds-a-physical-product-development-firm-that-focuses-on-startu) (Being an Engineer)
- [13 Reasons Why New Hardware Products Fail](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2022-11-23-13-reasons-why-new-hardware-products-fail) (Predictable Designs Podcast)
- [Ep. 39 - Starting a Hardware Company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2025-05-15-ep-39-starting-a-hardware-company) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [IDology #11 - Most common mistakes in product development](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/idology/2023-03-28-idology-11-most-common-mistakes-in-product-development) (IDology)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-09-introducing-its-only-a-prototype-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 It's Only a Prototype.