Hardware Podcasts
It's Only a Prototype podcast cover art

It's Only a Prototype

Tom Constable and Phil Staunton of product design agency Design 2 Market on the real stories behind physical product innovation, from the first idea and prototype to manufacturing and the shelf.

7 episodes · 6 hours · since 2025

Show likely ended
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It's Only a Prototype has likely ended: no new episode in over a year.

Its last episode came out on 1 Jul 2025. The whole back catalogue is still here to explore, every episode with its summary and chapters.

It's Only a Prototype is filed under product development, founder stories, interviews and manufacturing. Its most recent episode published on , so it sits in the archive rather than the active listings. Listeners have left 1 rating on Apple Podcasts, averaging 2 out of 5.

Latest episodes

The 7 newest episodes of It's Only a Prototype, each with a summary and chapters.

  • · 1h 08m

    Kickstarter, Copycats, and Comebacks: RiutBag’s Rise

    Sarah Giblin, founder of RiutBag, explains how she launched a secure backwards backpack as a solopreneur with no design background, using Kickstarter to fund production and TikTok for marketing. She details the critical role of customer surveys in defining the product's 15-inch laptop capacity and the importance of hand-checking every unit in her Chinese factory to ensure quality. Giblin also discusses overcoming severe burnout and depression after facing copycats and financial peril, emphasizing the need for frugality and 'extreme ownership' to sustain the business.

    Crowdfunding & preordersValidation & product-market fit
    8 chapters

  • · 1h 14m

    Dyslexia, Deals & Devastation: Jez Williman on the Highs and Lows of Building Physical Products

    Jez Williman, a British entrepreneur who scaled a crowd control business to over $100 million in sales, shares the story of his second venture in electric mobility that he ultimately lost to investors. He details the failure of trusting a major UK design firm for the product development, which resulted in unusable CAD drawings and significant financial loss. Williman explains how a minority investor used contractual clauses to block further funding, forcing the company into administration and allowing the investor to take full control. He concludes by discussing his return to the crowd control industry with a new smart technology focus and the parallels between elite athletics and entrepreneurship.

    Fundraising & investorsPrototyping & iteration
    6 chapters

  • · 53m

    How AI Is Transforming Product Design

    Industrial designer and AI consultant Rupert Warries joins hosts Tom Constable and Phil Staunton to discuss how generative AI is transforming product design workflows. Warries explains how tools like Vizcom and ComfyUI allow designers to accelerate ideation and 3D rendering while managing stakeholder expectations regarding the realism of AI outputs. The conversation covers the legal ambiguities of AI training data, the risk of over-reliance on AI as a 'crutch', and the future impact of AI on design roles and hiring practices.

    AI & machine learningIndustrial & consumer product design
    10 chapters

  • · 55m

    Against All Odds: Overcoming Huge Setbacks to Sell 5 Million Worldwide

    Rob Law, founder of Trunki, explains how he turned a student design project into a global brand selling 5 million units, detailing his journey from a disastrous Dragons' Den pitch to securing UK manufacturing. He discusses the strategic decision to buy a failing factory, the costly but PR-positive loss of a high court IP battle, and the lessons learned from the failed 'Journey' crowdfunding campaign. Law also outlines his current approach with Zeepy, using AI for rapid iteration and 'slow innovation' to build sustainable products without heavy upfront investment.

    Crowdfunding & preordersIntellectual property
    7 chapters

  • · 59m

    Taming the Dragons whilst Saving the Planet

    Lisa Hicks, founder of SNOAP, explains how she turned a lockdown frustration with slippery, unhygienic solid soap bars into the world’s first solid soap and shampoo dispenser. She details the development of seven prototypes to achieve a durable, 25-year lifespan and the rigorous due diligence required before appearing on Dragons' Den. After the episode aired, Hicks managed a massive surge in direct-to-consumer orders and secured investment from Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones to drive global expansion.

    Crowdfunding & preordersPrototyping & iteration
    10 chapters

  • · 44m

    Bootstrapped to 800,000 Units Sold Worldwide: The Story Behind Rockit

    Matt Dyson, co-founder of Rockit, explains how he and his brother-in-law Nick Webb transformed a gaffer-taped DIY prototype into a global brand selling over 800,000 units. Dyson details the journey from quitting teaching to bootstrapping the business, securing IP protection on a shoestring, and raising £250,000 via CrowdCube. He discusses the strategic decision to use distributors for global expansion, maintaining a lean team of four, and fighting off cheap Chinese copycats through strong branding and IP enforcement.

    Starting a product companyIntellectual property
    7 chapters

  • · 5m

    Introducing: It's only a Prototype Podcast

    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.

    Starting a product companyManufacturing partners & offshoring
    6 chapters

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