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I'm still struggling to understand the logistics of starting a hardware company. Let's say I have an idea for a portable mini-fridge. What kind of engineers d

I'm still struggling to understand the logistics of starting a hardware company. Let's say I have an idea for a portable mini-fridge. What kind of engineers do I need to contract to design it? Where do I find them? Do I need approval, testing? What kind of regulations do I need to follow? And finally how do I get it manufactured? Do I actually need to go to China and meet with factories? I wish someone would put together a step by step guide for these kinds of questions.

davidcann 14y ago
The simple answer is that it's no different than a software-only startup: spend 10 years learning how to build [software/hardware], then the logistics are straightforward.
kerryfalk 14y ago
Regulations differ across different industries and most have an industry association that you can become a part of to do research. Manufacturing is very old-hat in North America. Truly rapid prototyping is bringing costs down, like a great dev framework cuts dev time down. There are many possible paths to succeeding in manufacturing, one size does not fit all. It largely depends on A) what you're trying to build; and B) who you're going to sell it to. For example, if you're going to sell to consumers you're most likely going to have to come up with capital to cover your manufacturing costs before you have a single unit sold. If you're selling to businesses you might be able to get a Letter of Intent or a Letter of Credit and then get a bridge loan to cover the costs. If I were building a manufacturing company, this is probably the route I would take. Like software though, you need the right people. Good mechanical engineers are as rare as good software engineers and the programs they use in their craft are far more expensive (SolidWorks, etc.). You'll also probably need an Electrical Engineer. It's kind of like the difference between front-end/back-end devs.

davidcann 14y ago

The simple answer is that it's no different than a software-only startup: spend 10 years learning how to build [software/hardware], then the logistics are straightforward.

kerryfalk 14y ago

Regulations differ across different industries and most have an industry association that you can become a part of to do research. Manufacturing is very old-hat in North America. Truly rapid prototyping is bringing costs down, like a great dev framework cuts dev time down. There are many possible paths to succeeding in manufacturing, one size does not fit all. It largely depends on A) what you're trying to build; and B) who you're going to sell it to. For example, if you're going to sell to consumers you're most likely going to have to come up with capital to cover your manufacturing costs before you have a single unit sold. If you're selling to businesses you might be able to get a Letter of Intent or a Letter of Credit and then get a bridge loan to cover the costs. If I were building a manufacturing company, this is probably the route I would take. Like software though, you need the right people. Good mechanical engineers are as rare as good software engineers and the programs they use in their craft are far more expensive (SolidWorks, etc.). You'll also probably need an Electrical Engineer. It's kind of like the difference between front-end/back-end devs.