Hardware Podcasts

251. Michael Corr & Justin Sears on How Altium & Duro Are Fueling the Next Generation of Hardware Startups

The Next Byte Podcast · 28 Sept 2026 · 1h 05m

AI in practice: 3 real uses of AI described

What this episode covers

Michael Corr, co-founder and CEO of Duro, and Justin Sears, Head of Product Marketing at Altium, discuss how Duro’s cloud-based PLM platform and Altium’s Agile Teams are breaking down silos between electrical, mechanical, and procurement teams. They explain how Duro’s API-first architecture enables specialized AI agents to automate tasks like BOM analysis and part sourcing, addressing the critical need for real-time supply chain visibility. The conversation highlights the acquisition of Duro by Altium, the shift from selling 'vitamins' to 'medicine' for hardware startups, and the resurgence of small, fast-moving hardware companies leveraging modern tooling.

AI in practice

Where this conversation describes AI being used to build or deliver a product. Part of the AI in practice tracker.

Engineering & simulationDuro Platform / AI Interface

Duro is developing an interface where users can ask an AI agent to build a plugin for a new CAD or ERP product, allowing the agent to generate a basic plugin in minutes.

“within our own platform, you'd be able to use our interface, our model and say, hey, I want to, I just purchased this CAD product or this ERP product. I dont see a plug-in for it. Can you help me build one for Dero … hopefully within a couple of minutes, you got a basic plug-in, you can be off and running.”

Michael Corr · Hear it at 46:07

Engineering & simulationSpecialized AI Agents (Procurement)

Duro is exploring specialized AI agents that can review bills of materials (BOMs) for procurement issues, allowing smaller teams to augment their staff with skilled agents instead of hiring specialists.

“So instead of hiring a pyramid specialist, we can build a procurement specialized agent, that can review their bomb or the proposed changes for them. Right? So these are the things that I think, you know, are definitely the next wave across Duro … I'm really excited to see that.”

Michael Corr · Hear it at 48:50

Engineering & simulationAltium / AI Data Analysis

Altium plans to use accumulated design signal data to provide better services to customers, helping them avoid errors and enriching their design process through AI analysis.

“We have uh, a lot of signal on how people are designing things. And so the question becomes, Number one, how do you use that signal to provide a better service to all of our customers so they don't make the same errors that others might make? How can you enrich their process so they can do better design?”

Justin Sears · Hear it at 43:32

Most relevant to

companies scaling up and large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Altium, Benchmark Electronics, Proper Voltage, Astra Forge, Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Horton Works, SpaceX, Apple, Mouser, DigiKey
Products
Duro, Altium Agile Teams, Altium 365
Tools
SolidWorks, Claude, ChatGPT

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