The Builder Circle®: Hardware Success Podcast

Darby Dunn, embodying excellence in #manufacturing and #operations, she joins the show drawing from her tenure at SpaceX building the Dragon spacecraft, and now at Commonwealth Fusion Systems where she’s helping develop a full fusion machine alongside the production systems to support it. She brings a wealth of insight to this episode as we tackle the central question: “How do you scale hardware o...

Peter Russo , entrepreneur and hardware mentor who has founded and sold multiple companies, shares decades of hard-won wisdom on working with contract manufacturers. With 15+ brands created, 2,000+ SKUs launched, and $250M in retail sales under his belt, Peter reveals the strategies, pitfalls, and creative approaches that separate successful hardware partnerships from costly disasters. What You'll...

Christian Reed , CEO of Reekon Tools , shares how he bootstrapped a hardware company from a side project to a multi-million dollar (8 figure) business without any VC funding. Learn how a $1.2M Kickstarter campaign validated his digital tape measure, the manufacturing lessons from his time at Formlabs, and how 30 minutes of daily social media posting built a 3 million-follower audience. Key Topics:...

Stay updated on hardware startup strategy packages (The Building Blocks by The Builder Circle) coming soon : https://forms.gle/8vQycwzeMvm43kPc6 In this special episode, host Sera reflects on the journey of The Builder Circle podcast, revisiting its origins, purpose, and evolution. Sera shares personal experiences as a mechanical engineer and startup mentor, and discusses how the show has grown to...

We want to hear from you! Leave your feedback on the show : https://forms.gle/z5JS5t8dWG26jx5k7 Why Listen? This episode dives deep into the realities of hardware hacking, open-source innovation, and the global landscape of electronics manufacturing. Whether you’re a hardware builder, engineer, or maker, the insights shared here are crucial for understanding the challenges and opportunities in des...

Host Sera Evcimen welcomes Kristen Edwards, CTO and co-founder of Pensa Technologies and PhD candidate at MIT, for a deep dive into the intersection of artificial intelligence and hardware engineering. Kristen shares her expertise on AI-driven solutions for manufacturing, the challenges of integrating AI into engineering workflows, and the future of design and manufacturing. Actionable Takeaways:...

Carlota Ochoa is a Principal at Extantia Capital, leading UK operations for the fund. With a background in commodities at Merrill Lynch, operational experience in startups, and a senior management role at Amazon’s consumer electronics division, Carlota brings a wealth of expertise in climate tech investing. She now focuses on supporting pioneering hardware and software solutions that address major...

This episode digs into incubators vs. accelerators for hardware founders , featuring Raphaele Leyendecker , Managing Director at Techstars Sustainability Paris , climate-tech entrepreneur, and investor in 75+ startups. If you’ve wondered when to join which program—and how to actually get value without wrecking your cap table—this one’s for you. In this episode, you’ll discover: 🐣 Incubator vs. ac...

This episode is all about navigating the complex world of tariffs and global trade compliance for hardware startups, featuring Gabrielle Griffith , Director at BPE Global, a leading trade compliance consulting firm. Gabrielle brings 20+ years of experience helping companies of all sizes manage the risks, costs, and surprises of international trade. If you’ve ever wondered how tariffs, HTS codes, a...

This episode is all about hardware, with none other than Jon Hirschtick , the mind behind SolidWorks and Onshape ( onshape.pro/thebuildercircle ). Jon has spent his career building the tools that engineers use to design, prototype, and ship world-changing products. We dug into the ethos of hardware development, what it takes to earn your seat in the engineering workflow, and how software can unloc...

This podcast episode features an in-depth conversation with Ying Liu CEO of BlueLake Packaging , a seasoned expert in hardware product development and the sustainable packaging industry. Drawing from her extensive experience, including building Apple's supply chain infrastructure in China, Ying shares valuable insights on outsourcing vs. insourcing, establishing strong supplier relationships, the...

Quality or sustaining engineering sound like big initiatives that only exist in big companies like GE or P&G but this is a common misconception in the startup world. Having a quality mindset and culture should come into play the first day of product development. I am excited to have Matthew Lipsitz , Head of Quality at Formlabs on to discuss exactly this. Formlabs started as a startup and scal...

In this podcast, TBC host and Pratik founder Sera Evcimen has a discussion with patent attorney Troy Grabow about the importance of intellectual property (IP) strategy for hardware startups. They explore the differences between patents and trade secrets, the complex process of filing and maintaining patents, and the potential costs involved, the strategic decisions startups need to make regarding...

In this episode, Kristine Barnes shares her extensive experience in the world of complex systems, straddling the fields of nuclear power and automotive engineering. She hails from General Motors and an executive member of Society of Women Engineers . At the end of the episode you will walk away with knowing: how to proactively start writing requirements for your complex system, how to effectively...

In this deep-dive episode, Greg Paulsen , Director of Applications, Engineering and Marketing at Xometry , discusses the complexities and intricacies of physical product development. He highlights the importance of understanding different manufacturing methods and the potential biases they can introduce in the design process. The episode delves into the pros and cons of various 3D printing technol...

Scott Miller is back again on the Builder Circle! A true hardware veteran, in this episode we will be privileged enough to talk with him within the realm of his professional sweet spot: how to properly scale your manufacturing with a focus on injection molding! The episode will dive into: When should a product team know to convert to injection molding? From a technological readiness level, unit ec...

From leveraging your ecosystem to building your product roadmap and from managing your board to determining who to hire and why, this episode has it all. Pete Blake from Sapphire Steel is a fellow All-Star Mentor at Techstars. In this episode we dive deep into: How to strategically incorporate your ecosystem in hardware development and launch The mindset shift between research and productization F...

This episode features a conversation between host, Sera Evcimen, and Alan Cohen , author of 'Prototype to Product: A Practical Guide for Getting to Market' . They delve into the complexities, misconceptions and opportunities in medical device development. The discussion includes the importance of generating good requirements, handling regulatory requirements, and conducting risk analysis. They als...

Elecia White has worked on DNA scanners, inertial measurement units for airplanes and race cars, toys for preschoolers, a gunshot location system for catching criminals, and assorted other medical and consumer devices. She is the founder of Logical Elegance , an embedded systems consulting company based in San Jose and the host of the Embedded FM podcast. Elecia has strong skills in signal process...

Orin Hoffman is a seasoned hardware veteran and VC investor passionate about enabling hardware through capital. In this episode we dive into two main questions: How does a hardware entrepreneur strategically source capital to have a successful hardware product? What are the common pitfalls and failures hardware teams do when building their capital stack? Don't have time to listen to the full episo...

PROWL is design and strategy studio helping companies reach their product design and climate goals. Lauryn Menard and Bailie Mischler (Davis) bring a wealth of experience and intuition around industrial design and utilizing regenerative materials in physical product design. In this episode, PROWL and I will talk through the following 2 big questions: Why is industrial design important and when sho...

Haje Kamps is an entrepreneur, pitch coach, hardware enthusiast and former VC. He brings a wealth of experience and intuition around the art of pitching hardware products for a successful fundraise and wide-spread adoption. In this specialty episode, Haje and I will talk through the following questions: Why should builders care about their pitch, shouldn't the technology stand for itself? What are...

In this Hardware Case Study episode we talk to Madhavi Gavini, CEO of Droplette . If you are a founder, engineer, product team or builder who has the following questions , this episode is for you! Sunk Cost Fallacy: How can we avoid the sunken cost fallacy and prevent over-engineering and unnecessary features from hindering the minimal viability of our products? Pivots: How do you feel confident i...

William Burke is a seasoned mechanical engineer and hardware enthusiast. He is passionately building tools for the next generation of hardware engineers through his company Five Flute . In this episode we explore key questions related to engineering design and product development: How can we strike the right balance between extremes in engineering design requirements? What is the importance of und...

In this episode, we delve into the world of modern hardware development and uncover its intricacies. Tyler Mincey, shares invaluable experiences from his time at Apple during the launch of the first iPhone, as well as his insights as a General Partner interacting with hardware entrepreneurs daily. Gain exclusive perspectives from industry giants like Apple and be inspired by the entrepreneurial sp...