# VC-Backed Hardware Design Collaboration is the (All) Spice of Life

- Show: [Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby)
- Published: 2023-05-30
- Length: 56m
- Episode: 7
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life
- Listen: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/podcast/vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life

## Summary

Valentina Ratner and Kyle Dumont, co-founders of Allspice, explain their mission to bring Git-style version control and collaboration workflows to hardware engineering, addressing the industry's reliance on outdated methods like printed schematics and PDFs. Chrissy Meyer, a general partner at Root Ventures, discusses her transition from electrical engineering at Apple to VC, explaining how she recognized the visceral pain of inefficient design reviews and invested in Allspice to solve these collaboration gaps. The team details how Allspice Hub enables asynchronous design reviews and connects disparate tools, aiming to bridge the gap between electrical engineering and software development practices.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=1) Introduction: Valentina Ratner, Kyle Dumont, and Chrissy Meyer on Allspice and Root Ventures
- [1:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=72) Founders' Engineering Backgrounds: Valentina's ATM fascination and Kyle's electrical engineering journey
- [3:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=223) Chrissy Meyer's Path: From Apple Engineer to Root Ventures Partner
- [5:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=323) The Origin of Allspice: Frustration with Hardware Collaboration at iRobot and Startups
- [7:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=451) Building Allspice: Bridging the Gap Between Software Best Practices and Hardware Engineering
- [10:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=616) Investment Thesis: Why Chrissy Meyer Invested in Allspice Despite Market Size Concerns
- [15:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=932) Allspice Product Vision: Git-style Workflow, Async Reviews, and API Integration
- [25:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=1506) Founder Lessons: Valentina's Transition to CEO and Kyle's Focus on Customer Value
- [31:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=1874) The State of Hardware Design: From Printed Schematics to GitHub Workarounds
- [46:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life#t=2782) Lightning Round: Advice for Aspiring CEOs, Fundraising Myths, and Future Opportunities

## Topics

- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Allspice (company)
- Root Ventures (company)
- Apple (company)
- iRobot (company)
- GitHub (tool)
- GitLab (tool)
- Cadence (company)
- Altium (company)
- Amazon (company)
- Square (company)
- Harvard (other)
- Stanford (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [T-25-007 : Valentina Ratner - Mechanical Engineer to SaaS for Hardware CEO](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo) (TRADEOFFS)
- [Git for Hardware Engineers with Valentina Ratner and Kyle Dumont](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2023-06-06-git-for-hardware-engineers-with-valentina-ratner-and-kyle-dumont) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [Hardware Revision Control with Kyle Dumont](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-08-17-hardware-revision-control-with-kyle-dumont) (The Amp Hour)
- [165: Iterative Design Processes & Tools for Hardware Development](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-03-02-165-iterative-design-processes-tools-for-hardware-development) (Product Startup)
- [T-25-010 :  Ioannis Papamanoglou and Narayan Powderly - Engineers transforming how we design, test, and build hardware with atopile](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-01-01-t-25-010-ioannis-papamanoglou-and-narayan-powderly-engineers-transforming-how-we) (TRADEOFFS)

## Citing this page

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