# An Interview with Ryan Cousins

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2019-11-11
- Length: 1h 13m
- Episode: 466
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/466-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins/

## Summary

Ryan Cousins, founder and CEO of Krtkl, discusses the Snickerdoodle, an FPGA + SoC development platform designed to bridge the gap between hobbyist boards and expensive enterprise hardware. He details the technical architecture, including the use of Xilinx Zynq chips and Ubuntu Linux, and explains how the modular design helps engineers avoid costly re-spins. Cousins also recounts the painful four-year journey of fulfilling a Kickstarter campaign, which ultimately served as a powerful marketing tool for his engineering services business.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins#t=0) Introduction and Company Background
- [5:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins#t=327) The Snickerdoodle Platform Architecture
- [10:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins#t=601) Technical Benefits: Flexibility and Risk Reduction
- [14:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins#t=858) Pricing, Target Markets, and Supply Chain
- [30:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins#t=1803) Crowdfunding Challenges and Fulfillment
- [40:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins#t=2442) Software Stack: Linux, Yocto, and Bare Metal
- [50:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins#t=3025) Customer Use Cases: Robotics and Video
- [1:08:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-11-11-an-interview-with-ryan-cousins#t=4103) Conclusion and Resources

## Topics

- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Krtkl (company)
- Snickerdoodle (product)
- Xilinx (chip)
- Zynq (chip)
- Raspberry Pi (product)
- Crowd Supply (company)
- Mouser (company)
- Ubuntu (other)
- Yocto (other)
- PYNQ (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [100: Unintentional Radiator](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-05-06-100-unintentional-radiator) (Embedded.fm)
- [146: The Loyal Opposition](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-04-07-146-the-loyal-opposition) (Embedded.fm)
- [026 - You Can Lose in so Many Colors!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-08-31-026-you-can-lose-in-so-many-colors) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [044 - Scots Army Knife](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-01-03-044-scots-army-knife) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [44: Light Up Strikes Back](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-03-26-44-light-up-strikes-back) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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