This was the process we went through to build a hardware and software product based around a bluetooth LE chip: 1. Get hold of a development board (say an nRF5

This was the process we went through to build a hardware and software product based around a bluetooth LE chip: 1. Get hold of a development board (say an nRF52 or a Ti SensorTag). Get the dev system set up and get sample firmware running. 2. Build the MVP firmware. Doesn't have to be perfect just has to be enough to demonstrate the idea. 2. At the same time, build the surrounding software (phone app, services). Phone app use the closest thing you are comfortable with but Android development is a lot cheaper and testing your prototypes is easier as every Android device can be a developer device without paying the Apple bullsh*t taxes and jumping through all their hoops. 3. Dev account on AWS, use the free tier services (although be very careful about keeping an eye on costs). Your MVP can't get far from the desk but it can be shown to people. In my case the product couldn't be tested without at least 20 devices mocked up but we simulated that with a pile of cheap key finders from alibaba. Get creative about simulating whatever environment you might be deploying to whether it's software or hardware or a combination. It makes the demos more believable. 4. Shop it around, get creative about who might be interested in helping you. Unfortunately, the number of people who have ideas and can build them by themselves is surprisingly small. You'll need help but be careful about getting into business with people you don't know. I made that mistake and it cost me 2 years.