An Interview with Christina Cyr

The Amp Hour · 20 Jan 2020 · 1h 13m · Episode 475

What this episode covers

Christina Cyr, CEO of Detour and creator of the Circle Phone, discusses the development of a circular, dual-display smartphone and her recent experience exhibiting at CES. She details the challenges of sourcing components from large vendors like Qualcomm, navigating complex tariff codes for batteries and LCDs, and the financial realities of hardware startups, including high NRE costs and the difficulty of getting support for low-volume production. Cyr also shares lessons learned from her first Kickstarter campaign, particularly regarding market validation and the pitfalls of gendered marketing assumptions.

Mentioned

Companies
Detour, Wyze Cameras, Seeed Studio, Samsung, Huawei, Apple, Tau Glass, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Unity, DigiKey, Strange Parts, Microsoft
Products
Circle Phone, Essential Phone, Snapchat Spectacles, Apple Watch
Chips
Qualcomm, Snapdragon
Tools
Formlabs 2, Glowforge
Also
CES, Eureka Park, Sands Expo Convention Center, BBC, CNET, The Daily, CTA, WeWork Labs, Metrix Create Space Makerspace, Mobile World Congress, The Telegraph, Android, iOS, Soto Makerspace, Commotion Labs, SUNY Albany, Nalan Chow Petcharasopan, Anna Chow Petcharasopan, Scotty Allen, Beau Amber, Kickstarter, Extra Slice, Satya Nadella, Aileen McGraw, Mike, Chris Gammell, Dave Jones, Joel, 3D Printing Nerd, Sage Chandler, How Dare I, Make Magazine, Los Angeles Library, Bellevue Library, Chicago Downtown Library, Spotify, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Circlephone.com, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 04m

    510: The Secret Chip

    Christina Cyr, CEO of dTOOR, discusses her journey building The Cyrcle Phone, an Android device with a round display, and her company's status as a social purpose corporation. She details the technical challenges of sourcing components like ADH connectors, the high costs of industry awards, and the emerging economics of lithium-ion battery recycling. Cyr also shares insights on navigating the hardware startup landscape, including the difficulty of fundraising and strategies for re-entering the workforce after a career break.

  • How I Built This · 32m

    When our phones are just phones with Kai Tang and Joe Hollier of Light

    Kai Tang and Joe Hollier, co-founders of Light, explain how they met in a Google incubator and decided to build the Light Phone, a minimalist device designed to reduce smartphone addiction and protect user privacy. They detail their journey from a $400,000 Kickstarter for the first 2G model to a $3.5 million Indiegogo campaign for the Light Phone 2, which added utility features like music and text. The founders discuss the challenges of hardware manufacturing, including delays and supply chain issues, and how they achieved profitability through word-of-mouth marketing and direct-to-consumer sales without venture capital pressure to maximize attention.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 19m

    251: I Agreed at the Time

    Addie and Whisker of the Toymakers (@Tymkrs) discuss the creation of their 2018 CypherCon badge, a functional telephone system that required building a 96-line exchange and sourcing obsolete hardware. They detail the supply chain crisis involving a Korean modem module manufacturer that caused massive delays and cost overruns, forcing them to hand-solder 500 units the night before the conference. The episode covers the technical design of the badge, the interactive puzzles built into the conference infrastructure, and the broader culture of hacker conference badges.

  • Predictable Designs Podcast · 40m

    Hard Earned Lessons Learned with Wayne Frick of ChirpSounds – Part 2

    Wayne Frick of ChirpSounds details the operational and technical hurdles of bringing his long-range Bluetooth bird call device to market, specifically focusing on supply chain complexities and component selection. He explains the challenges of sourcing a certified, weatherproof 18650 battery and selecting a UV-stable plastic that allowed for cost-effective painting rather than custom compounding. Frick also discusses the critical importance of building an audience and maintaining cash flow through strategic production scaling and manufacturer financing rather than relying on crowdfunding.

  • The Builder Circle · 18m

    For Hardware Startups by Hardware People: Building The Builder Circle with Host, Sera Evcimen

    Sera Evcimen, a mechanical engineer and startup mentor, explains the mission of The Builder Circle podcast to support hardware founders through case studies and practical advice. She details her background working on diverse products like satellites and robotics, which led to her hypothesis on common hardware failure modes. Evcimen outlines upcoming affordable resources, including 'The Building Blocks' strategy packages, designed to democratize high-quality hardware decision-making for startups with limited budgets.

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