Hardware Podcasts

#037 - Disrupting with digital manufacturing, with Nick Pinkston of Plethora, USA

The Hardware Entrepreneur · 13 Sept 2017 · 37m

What this episode covers

Nick Pinkston, founder and CEO of Plethora, explains how his company automates CNC machining to provide real-time design feedback and instant pricing, aiming to make manufacturing as easy as pizza delivery. He details why hardware startups often fail by not engaging manufacturers early enough to understand cost trade-offs and production constraints. Pinkston also discusses the growth of the San Francisco Hardware Startup Meetup, which he co-founded, and shares lessons on scaling operations, hiring management early, and maintaining organizational culture between factory floor and office staff.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Plethora, CloudFab, Proto Labs, MakerBot, Pebble, Fitbit, Dragon Innovation, Fictiv, Platform 88
Also
HackPittsburgh

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