Connected Hardware Startup Meetups
Many IoT and Industry 4.0 startups must build hardware as part of their value proposition. According to CBInsight, investments in hardware startups increasingly take a larger share (40+% in 2019) of VC dollars, but 74% of hardware startups never make it past their second round of funding, and 97% of them fail altogether.
This series of meetups aims to support entrepreneurs and startups of Connected HW devices on their idea-to-scale-up journey. Hardware entreprenuers and companies, including design studios, contract manufacturers, will be sharing best practices – from building prototypes, finding contract manufacturers, obtaining certifications to funding, customer acquisition, logistics, and business models.
Entrepreneur Stories from the Frontline
Topic: Entrepreneurs of hardware startups sharing their experiences and lessons learned of turning their idea into a connected hardware startup business:
- How they turn their idea into connected hardware prototypes
- Manufactured their finished connected HW products and managing connected HW supply chains
- Finding, acquiring and retaining customers for their connected HW products
- Choosing business models and building cost models for their connected HW startup business
- Managing with contract manufacturers, customer acquisition, managing logistics, supporting physical products, hiring employees, and funding their HW startup.
Speakers: Founders of connected hardware startups
Idea-to-Prototype and Product Market Fit – Designing & Engineering Connected HW Products
Topic: What are the considerations in designing hardware and building hardware prototypes, MVP, and finding the initial set of customers? Including discussions on tools, processes (e.g., Lean Startup/Design Thinking for Hardware Products), Design for Excellence (DfX), Design for Manufacturability (DfM), Customer Development/ Discovery/Validation best practices, etc
Speakers: Entrepreneurs, industrial designers, engineers, design studios, contract manufacturers, component suppliers/distributors, Manufacturing-as-a-Service providers.
New Product Introduction and Production Scaling: Manufacturing and Supply Chain for Connected HW
Topic: Topics on finding contract manufactrers, contracts, managing supplier logistics and distribution (freight in/freight out/warehousing), etc.?
Speakers: Entrepreneurs, Contract Manufacturers, Electronics Products Supply Chain Experts
Customers and Business Models: Selling and Supporting Connected HW
Topic: How to acquire, retain, and support customers for Connected HW companies, and what business models should you consider?
Speakers: HW business model experts, Business Development Specialists, Customer Support and Field Services, Crowdsourcing, Retail Buyers, Crowdsource Marketing Agencies
Talent & Hiring
Business Model, Financials and Funding for Connected HW Startups
Topic: How do you fund your startup? What legal issues (regulatory, certifications, IPP) do you need to be aware of? What do you need to know about hiring employees and contractors for an HW product? How do you find 3rd party service providers (design companies, EMS, warehouse/logistics, etc)? How do I get a product certified for FAA, FDA, UL, etc?
Speakers: Legal/lawyers, certification experts, VCs, Incubators, Accelerators, etc
