# #035 - How a hardware startup’s product goes viral, with Christian Smith of TrackR, USA

- Show: [The Hardware Entrepreneur](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur)
- Published: 2017-08-16
- Length: 34m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us
- Listen: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thehardwareentrepreneur/035.mp3

## Summary

Christian Smith, co-founder and President of TrackR, explains how the Santa Barbara-based startup grew from a garage prototype to shipping over five million devices by engineering viral marketing and validating ideas through crowdfunding. He details the 'law of equivalent exchange' in marketing, the importance of obsession over passion, and how the company used early failures like the 'glasses tracker' to refine its product-market fit. Smith also discusses the strategic shift from standalone tags to embedding TrackR technology into partner products like Cross Pens and HP devices.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us#t=0) Introduction: Christian Smith and TrackR's 5 Million Milestone
- [3:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us#t=199) The Origin Story: Surfing, Lost Keys, and the Idea for TrackR
- [8:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us#t=484) Obsession vs. Passion and the Mission to Give Humanity Back 100 Hours
- [11:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us#t=668) Validating the Idea: Lean Startup, Surveys, and Bootstrapping
- [14:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us#t=883) Crowdfunding Lessons: The Failure of the Glasses Tracker
- [16:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us#t=987) Engineering Viral Marketing: The Law of Equivalent Exchange
- [23:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us#t=1437) The Core Value Proposition: CrowdLocate and Critical Mass
- [26:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us#t=1603) Future of Tracking: Embedding Technology into Partner Products
- [28:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-08-16-035-how-a-hardware-startups-product-goes-viral-with-christian-smith-of-trackr-us#t=1710) Founder Advice: Books, Morning Routines, and Cultural Differences

## Topics

- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- TrackR (product)
- CrowdLocate (product)
- Cross Pens (company)
- HP (company)
- Amazon (company)
- DoCoMo (company)
- The Lean Startup (other)
- The Art of the Start (other)
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [S3 E7: Building Bootstrapped Hardware That Sells with Christian Reed](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2026-01-13-s3-e7-building-bootstrapped-hardware-that-sells-with-christian-reed) (The Builder Circle)
- [Ep. 39 - Starting a Hardware Company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2025-05-15-ep-39-starting-a-hardware-company) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [176: How Hardware Founders Should Represent Their Product](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-05-18-176-how-hardware-founders-should-represent-their-product) (Product Startup)
- [Against All Odds: Overcoming Huge Setbacks to Sell 5 Million Worldwide](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-05-15-against-all-odds-overcoming-huge-setbacks-to-sell-5-million-worldwide) (It's Only a Prototype)
- [2: Launching](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2015-10-05-2-launching) (Thoroughly Considered)

## Citing this page

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