Hardware Podcasts

T-24-002 : Kevin Lavelle - Performance Fabric to Pediatric Telemedicine

TRADEOFFS · 2 Oct 2024 · 58m · Episode 2

What this episode covers

Kevin Lavelle, founder of Mizzen and Main and Harbor, discusses the transition from scaling a US-made performance fabric apparel brand to building Harbor, a pediatric telemedicine company. He details the technical trade-offs of designing a failsafe baby monitor with a dedicated tablet and camera that connects to the cloud, emphasizing the decision to avoid smartphone app dependency due to reliability concerns. Lavelle explains the strategic choice to manufacture hardware in Southeast Asia rather than the US, citing the inability of domestic supply chains to support volume, and outlines a 2-year membership model to ensure recurring revenue. He also reflects on the difficulties of fundraising for hardware in the current climate and the importance of building a distributed, high-caliber engineering team.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Mizzen and Main, Harbor, Juicero, Brooks Brothers, Oliver Wyman
Products
Nanit, Motorola
Also
SMU

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