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When we were running Miniand it was one of our big goals to assist hardware startups interact with factories in south China; we lived in Guangzhou back then and
by beefsack 11y ago
When we were running Miniand it was one of our big goals to assist hardware startups interact with factories in south China; we lived in Guangzhou back then and had constant interaction with manufacturers. We successfully manufactured our own dev board (based on an existing board with modifications) but in the end we just didn't make enough money to make it viable for us.
Chinese manufacturers do tend to have room to move on samples and MOQs, I think it's really important for someone considering attempting hardware on the smaller scale have someone in China assist with interacting with the manufacturers. A big issue is the large amount of miscommunication which always seem to happen when western companies try to deal with manufacturers directly.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- mschuster91 11y agoThe real startup idea is "Rent-a-Chinese" (sorry if it sounds racist, it's not intended as such). Like, a preferably low-cost / revenue-split consulting company for nonprofits and startups which gets the customers in contact with the Chinese HW/SW vendors and provides engineering (gongkai ecosystem) and especially cultural advice (translations!).
- arsenide 11y agoThis would be exceptional if it could be done on a modest hobbyist's budget
- toni 11y agoAh so that's what happened to Miniand. The forums were very useful for discussing the devices and finding custom images. Good luck in your next endeavor!