# Why Hardware Startups Are Finally Investable Again

- Show: [OnTrack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack)
- Published: 2026-02-10
- Length: 43m
- Episode: 333
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-02-10-why-hardware-startups-are-finally-investable-again
- Listen: https://podcast.altium.com/e/why-hardware-startups-are-finally-investable-again/

## Summary

Mihir Shaw and Benji Chia, co-founders of Hardware FYI, discuss the resurgence of hardware startup investment and the evolution of their newsletter from a niche technical publication to a community of 20,000 engineers. They highlight specific companies like Crown Control, which automates aerospace compliance reports, and Sencut, an on-demand sheet metal fabricator, as examples of the new wave of investable hardware ventures. The conversation also covers the challenges of PCB manufacturing complexity, the importance of first-principles content, and the realistic total addressable market for hardware engineering tools.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-02-10-why-hardware-startups-are-finally-investable-again#t=0) Introduction and Guest Backgrounds
- [4:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-02-10-why-hardware-startups-are-finally-investable-again#t=265) The Origin and Philosophy of Hardware FYI
- [12:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-02-10-why-hardware-startups-are-finally-investable-again#t=773) Content Strategy and Community Growth
- [19:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-02-10-why-hardware-startups-are-finally-investable-again#t=1176) The Resurgence of Hardware Investment
- [26:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-02-10-why-hardware-startups-are-finally-investable-again#t=1578) Manufacturing Innovation and On-Demand Fabrication
- [31:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-02-10-why-hardware-startups-are-finally-investable-again#t=1866) Impressive Hardware Startups and Future Vision

## Topics

- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Hardware FYI (product)
- Cadence (company)
- Summit Interconnect (company)
- Crown Control (company)
- Sencut (company)
- Neros (company)
- Altium (company)
- ASML (company)
- Tesla (company)
- Boeing (company)
- Lockheed (company)
- Y Combinator (company)
- SpaceX (company)
- Circuit Hub (company)
- Quilter (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [For Hardware Startups by Hardware People: Building The Builder Circle with Host, Sera Evcimen](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2026-01-06-for-hardware-startups-by-hardware-people-building-the-builder-circle-with-host-s) (The Builder Circle)
- [S2E51 The Hardware Academy | John Teel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-12-03-s2e51-the-hardware-academy-john-teel) (Being an Engineer)
- [An Interview with Luke Iseman of yCombinator](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-09-24-an-interview-with-luke-iseman-of-ycombinator) (The Amp Hour)
- [An Interview with Avidan Ross](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-16-an-interview-with-avidan-ross) (The Amp Hour)
- [Violet Su on hardware manufacturing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-07-08-violet-su-on-hardware-manufacturing) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-02-10-why-hardware-startups-are-finally-investable-again. 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 OnTrack.