Hardware Podcasts

The Future of Hardware, Manufacturing Startups, and Industrial Policy with Nick Pinkston (Part 2 of 3)

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 21 Oct 2022 · 39m

What this episode covers

Nick Pinkston, CEO and founder of Volition, discusses the challenges of hardware startups, noting that consumer hardware is easily knocked off by Chinese manufacturers while hard tech suffers from long payback periods and impatient VC funding. He argues that additive manufacturing will not replace traditional processes but rather be enhanced by computing and AI, citing Path Robotics' use of computer vision for welding edge cases. Pinkston highlights the importance of industrial policy, suggesting the US needs to reinvest in foundational manufacturing R&D and vocational training to compete globally, while also emphasizing the need for better community building between startups and large corporations.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Volition, Path Robotics, Atomic, Formlabs, Desktop Metal, Carbon, Vention, Alcoa, MTM (Association of Manufacturing Technology)
Also
The Interval

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