# 86: Merciless Fundraising

- Show: [Thoroughly Considered](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered)
- Published: 2022-09-19
- Length: 1h 13m
- Episode: 86
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising
- Listen: http://relay.fm/tc/86

## Summary

Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost of Studio Neat discuss their 'Merciless Fundraising' campaign for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, featuring a limited edition gold PVD-coated Mark One pen. They also detail the design evolution of their new Material Docks, explaining the decision to remove internal electronics in favor of MagSafe and the material shift from cork to clear anodized aluminum. Finally, the hosts revisit a 10-year-old XOXO talk, reflecting on how their business philosophy, product design process, and views on distribution have evolved since Studio Neat's early Kickstarter days.

## Chapters

- [0:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=8) Introduction: Merciless Fundraising for St. Jude
- [1:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=118) The Gold Mark One Limited Edition Details
- [8:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=532) Material Docks Design Evolution and MagSafe
- [14:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=899) Material Choices: Cork vs. Aluminum
- [21:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=1295) Revisiting the 10-Year-Old XOXO Talk
- [31:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=1915) Product Design Philosophy: Scratch Your Own Itch
- [40:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=2434) Business Structure: Simplicity vs. Product First
- [44:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=2658) Manufacturing: Made in America and Global Sourcing
- [48:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=2915) 1000 True Fans and Fan Relationships
- [54:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising#t=3253) 3D Printing Ubiquity and Distribution Models

## Topics

- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Studio Neat (company)
- Mark One (product)
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (other)
- Material Docks (product)
- MagSafe (other)
- XOXO (other)
- Kickstarter (other)
- Glyph (product)
- Cosmonaut (product)
- Tote Book (product)
- Mark 2 (product)
- Louis CK (other)
- Netflix (other)
- John Gruber (other)
- Substack (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 5 - StudioNeat (9/16)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-04-afterschool-podcast-episode-5-studioneat-9-16) (Core77 Podcast)
- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 11 - Marco Perry and Mark Prommel of Pensa (11/12)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-12-afterschool-podcast-episode-11-marco-perry-and-mark-prommel-of-pensa-11-12) (Core77 Podcast)
- [Kickstarter: Perry Chen (2018)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-12-31-kickstarter-perry-chen-2018) (How I Built This)
- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 19 - Craighton Berman, Founder of Manual (04/16)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2014-04-16-afterschool-podcast-episode-19-craighton-berman-founder-of-manual-04-16) (Core77 Podcast)
- [An Interview with Zach Dunham](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-07-03-an-interview-with-zach-dunham) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-09-19-86-merciless-fundraising. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Thoroughly Considered.