Hardware Podcasts

Succeeding in Hardware with Joshua Hsu of Introhm

Predictable Designs Podcast · 24 Mar 2020 · 1h 03m · Episode 13

What this episode covers

Joshua Hsu, co-founder of the hardware startup Introhm, discusses developing a wearable fitness product for personal trainers and physical therapists. He details the company's pivot from smart clothing to a modular wearable system using an off-the-shelf development kit to validate the business model and avoid high custom hardware costs. Hsu explains their strategy of using 'Wizard of Oz' demos to test willingness to pay before building the final product, and outlines a phased distribution plan targeting gyms and insurance providers.

Most relevant to

founders before launch

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Introhm, ASU, Benchmark Electronics, Bodybuilding.com, Equinox
Also
The Mom Test, Talking to Humans, Make Your Pad

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 14m

    An Interview with Luke Iseman of yCombinator

    Luke Iseman, head of hardware at Y Combinator, discusses the unique challenges and opportunities in building hardware startups, emphasizing that hardware is becoming easier and faster to iterate than many founders realize. He highlights specific companies like Nebbia, which sells a high-end showerhead, and T-Bot, a commercial tea dispensing robot, as examples of successful hardware ventures that leverage branding and user-centric design over pure technical complexity. Iseman explains Y Combinator's support system, including their mini-lab resources and network of manufacturing partners, which helps founders move from prototype to production quickly. The conversation also covers the importance of validating product-market fit through crowdfunding and direct user feedback, rather than getting bogged down in early-stage cost optimization.

    Validation & product-market fitPrototyping & iteration
    11 chapters

  • Being an Engineer · 22m

    S2E51 The Hardware Academy | John Teel

    John Teel, founder of Predictable Designs and The Hardware Academy, explains his platform which bridges electronics engineering and entrepreneurship for hardware startups. He details the academy's tiered subscription model, ranging from $49 to $249 per month, offering courses on PCB design, power management, and go-to-market strategy. Teel draws on his 15 years at Texas Instruments and his experience launching a consumer lighting product to advise engineers on avoiding the common pitfall of ignoring customer validation until after development.

    Validation & product-market fitStarting a product company
    8 chapters

  • Being an Engineer · 50m

    S2E37 Defied the odds: A Physical Product Development Firm That Focuses on Startups & Small Businesses, Mako Design + Invent –Kevin Mako

    Kevin Mako, Founder of Mako Design + Invent, explains how his firm supports hardware startups and small manufacturers by guiding products from initial concept to first production run. He details the financial journey for inventors, emphasizing the use of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to bridge the gap between prototyping and manufacturing, while advising on the importance of a 'Smart Minimum Viable Product' (SMVP) to manage complexity and cost. Mako also discusses his company's strict ethical policy of never taking equity in client products to avoid conflicts of interest, and highlights the role of his podcast, The Product Startup, in educating the hardware community.

    Crowdfunding & preordersValidation & product-market fit
    10 chapters

  • How I Built This · 1h 05m

    WHOOP: Will Ahmed

    Will Ahmed, founder of WHOOP, explains how his experience with overtraining as a Harvard squash player led to the creation of a wearable device focused on continuous physiological monitoring rather than simple step counting. He details the early struggles of prototyping with engineering labs, recruiting a small team including John Capalupo and Aurelia Nicolai, and the strategic decision to target elite athletes like LeBron James and Michael Phelps to build credibility. Ahmed describes the company's pivot from a high upfront hardware cost to a subscription model, which ultimately saved the business and allowed WHOOP to compete against giants like Nike, Apple, and Amazon.

    Starting a product companyPrototyping & iteration
    10 chapters

  • The Hardware Story · 1h 22m

    Episode 1 - The Hardware Story of Inito w/ Aayush Rai | Building a B2C medical hardware company

    Aayush Rai, Co-Founder and CEO of Inito, discusses building a B2C medical hardware company from Bangalore, India, targeting the US market with a home fertility monitoring device. He details the journey from prototyping with Arduino to navigating FDA regulations, securing $15M in funding through a unique angel-first strategy, and the critical pivot to focus exclusively on the iOS ecosystem to achieve product-market fit.

    Fundraising & investorsCertification & compliance
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Predictable Designs Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.