# An Interview with Scott Miller - Sudden SinoAmerican Synthesis

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2012-09-17
- Length: 1h 31m
- Episode: 113
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-113-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis/

## Summary

Scott Miller, founder of Dragon Innovation, explains how his company helps startups navigate high-volume manufacturing in China, drawing on his experience building Roombas and Scuba robots at iRobot. He details the critical importance of having a physical presence in Shenzhen, managing supply chain risks like counterfeit components, and protecting intellectual property through measures like signed ICs and bootloaders. Miller also discusses the specific challenges of crowdfunding, where entrepreneurs often fail to account for tooling and compliance costs, and outlines Dragon's retainer-based business model for guiding clients from prototype to production.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=0) Introduction: Scott Miller and Dragon Innovation
- [1:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=96) iRobot History: From R2-D2 to Roomba and Scuba
- [5:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=349) The Necessity of a Physical Presence in China
- [11:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=701) Shenzhen vs. Hong Kong and Supply Chain Density
- [18:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=1095) Founding Dragon Innovation in 2009
- [24:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=1497) Quality Control, Testing, and Failure Costs
- [33:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=1984) Building Trust and Navigating Middlemen
- [37:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=2276) Counterfeit Components and Approved Vendor Lists
- [44:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=2641) Intellectual Property Protection and Ghost Shifts
- [51:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=3063) Minimum Order Quantities and Labor Costs
- [1:01:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=3709) Dragon's Policy on U.S. vs. China Manufacturing
- [1:07:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=4073) Crowdfunding Pitfalls and Compliance
- [1:24:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-09-17-an-interview-with-scott-miller-sudden-sinoamerican-synthesis#t=5040) Hardware Accelerators and Future Trends

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Dragon Innovation (company)
- iRobot (company)
- Roomba (product)
- Scuba (product)
- Hasbro (company)
- Pebble (product)
- MakerBot (company)
- Alibaba (other)
- Olin College (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#032 - Why manufacturing in USA vs China is becoming interesting, with Scott N. Miller of Dragon Innovation, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-07-05-032-why-manufacturing-in-usa-vs-china-is-becoming-interesting-with-scott-n-mille) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [S1 E4: Cracking the Code of Hardware Manufacturing with Scott Miller](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2023-05-15-s1-e4-cracking-the-code-of-hardware-manufacturing-with-scott-miller) (The Builder Circle)
- [Transition from Prototype to Mass Manufacturing with Scott Miller of Dragon Innovation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-03-12-transition-from-prototype-to-mass-manufacturing-with-scott-miller-of-dragon-inno) (Predictable Designs Podcast)
- [140: Physics Is the Same Everywhere](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-02-25-140-physics-is-the-same-everywhere) (Embedded.fm)
- [S2E37 Defied the odds:  A Physical Product Development Firm That Focuses on Startups & Small Businesses, Mako Design + Invent –Kevin Mako](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-08-23-s2e37-defied-the-odds-a-physical-product-development-firm-that-focuses-on-startu) (Being an Engineer)

## Citing this page

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