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Resources

Practical guides for building physical products.

Plain-English answers to the questions hardware teams keep running into. Written from real engagements, not blog filler. Released as new engagements surface common questions.

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Founder’s Gauntlet walks you through doubt, bad advice, prototype chaos, manufacturing surprises, and launch. Make the calls, see the consequences. Free, browser-based, ~15 minutes.

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Browse by category
Product Development BasicsPrototypingManufacturingElectronics & FirmwareDFM / DFAStartup Hardware StrategyGrant / SBIR DevelopmentCost & Timeline PlanningVendor / Supplier Decisions
Cost & Timeline
01

What does it actually cost to build a hardware prototype?

Coming soon →
Prototyping
02

Prototype vs. production design: what changes?

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Manufacturing
03

What is DFM and why does it matter?

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Prototyping
04

Why first prototypes are supposed to be ugly.

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Manufacturing
05

What are EVT, DVT, and PVT?

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Prototyping
06

When to use 3D printing vs. injection molding.

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Manufacturing
07

How much does injection-molding tooling really cost?

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Electronics
08

What is a PCB, and when do you need a custom one?

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Basics
09

Firmware, software, and hardware: what is the difference?

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Strategy
10

Why hardware startups run out of money.

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Process
11

How to prepare for a hardware development call.

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Process
12

What should be in a product-requirements document?

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Manufacturing
13

What is a BOM, and why does it matter?

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Manufacturing
14

How to know if your prototype is ready for manufacturing.

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Grants
15

How SBIR/STTR funding can support hardware development.

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Grants
16

What grant-backed teams should prepare before hiring engineers.

Coming soon →
Strategy
17

Why cheap product development gets expensive.

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Strategy
18

How to reduce technical risk before building.

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Manufacturing
19

What makes a product hard to manufacture?

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Electronics
20

Off-the-shelf modules vs. custom electronics: how to choose.

Coming soon →
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