DeepDive 1-on-1 Series: FUEL & PROTECTION - Securing the Supply Chain Before the Climb (31m22s)

NPI Sherpa · 3 Mar 2026 · 31m

What this episode covers

Rob Carl, Founder & CEO of Global NPI Solvers, joins host Sarah to discuss the 'Fuel & Protection' phase of the NPI Sherpa Pre-Ascent Protocol, focusing on supply chain resilience and regulatory compliance before production scaling. They analyze the risks of single-source components, gray-market brokers, and SDK-chosen silicon, using a Ford vs. startup allocation story to illustrate volume leverage. The conversation also covers the critical importance of tooling redundancy and the catastrophic financial impact of regulatory gaps, such as a wireless module certification error that caused a border hold in Germany.

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