# T-25-007 : Valentina Ratner - Mechanical Engineer to SaaS for Hardware CEO

- Show: [TRADEOFFS](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs)
- Published: 2025-03-21
- Length: 58m
- Episode: 7
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo
- Listen: https://tradeoffs.fm/7

## Summary

Valentina Ratner, co-founder and CEO of AllSpice, explains how she adapted Git workflows for hardware engineering to solve collaboration issues in electronics design. She details the transition from building Amazon delivery lockers to founding AllSpice, focusing on version control for PCBs, schematics, and BOMs. The episode covers the strategic decision to charge for the tool to ensure commitment, the shift from SMB to enterprise sales, and the challenges of integrating with ECAD tools like KiCad and Cadence.

## Chapters

- [0:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=55) Introduction: Valentina Ratner and AllSpice
- [1:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=72) Valentina's Engineering Origins at Amazon
- [5:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=337) Identifying the Hardware Collaboration Gap
- [9:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=590) AllSpice: Git for PCBs and Schematics
- [15:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=947) Prototyping and Validating the Product
- [17:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=1028) Strategic Trade-offs: No ECAD Tool, Just Git
- [22:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=1353) Automation, Actions, and AI Integration
- [25:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=1553) Market Shift: From SMB to Enterprise
- [33:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=2023) Pricing Strategy and Customer Love
- [39:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo#t=2393) Founder-Led Sales and Scaling the Team

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- AllSpice (product)
- Amazon (company)
- GitHub (tool)
- GitLab (tool)
- Jira (tool)
- Confluence (tool)
- KiCad (tool)
- Cadence (tool)
- SolidWorks (tool)
- Onshape (tool)
- Altium (tool)
- SourceTree (tool)
- Tortoise Git (tool)
- Tower (tool)
- Digi-Key (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [VC-Backed Hardware Design Collaboration is the (All) Spice of Life](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life) (Moore's Lobby)
- [Git for Hardware Engineers with Valentina Ratner and Kyle Dumont](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2023-06-06-git-for-hardware-engineers-with-valentina-ratner-and-kyle-dumont) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [Hardware Revision Control with Kyle Dumont](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-08-17-hardware-revision-control-with-kyle-dumont) (The Amp Hour)
- [165: Iterative Design Processes & Tools for Hardware Development](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-03-02-165-iterative-design-processes-tools-for-hardware-development) (Product Startup)
- [Burning Man Maker, Music Mogul, and PCB Revolutionary—Flux CEO Matthias Wagner](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-02-burning-man-maker-music-mogul-and-pcb-revolutionary-flux-ceo-matthias-wagner) (Moore's Lobby)

## Citing this page

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