Can You Launch Hardware Products Without VC Money in 2025?

Thank you to Nanu for 15% Off their heartfelt products with my coupon code - LeonExMachina15
https://nanuelectrics.com/discount/Le... *Valid until end of September 2025

Chapters
0:00 Preview - Devastating Productions Delays
0:35 Introduction
0:57 Nanu Studio Tour
3:20 Interview Start, Andrew’s Intuitive Surgical Robots Anecdote
4:00 Origin Story, How Nanu Started, Meeting at Fellow Coffee
5:34 Nanu Products and What Makes Them Special, Kickstarter
7:25 Arc Alarm Clock, Design Considerations, Analog Meets Digital
9:12 How Does Nanu Characterize their Design Language?
10:55 Timeline Recap of Nanu’s Crowdfunding and Product Launches
12:54 Was Kickstarter Enough Funding or How Did You Finance Nanu?
13:34 How Big is Nanu Now?
14:04 Who Would Pay $200+ for an Alarm Clock?! The Gamble, the Proof
15:40 Surprising Demographics of Nanu Customer Base
17:33 The Chronic Sleep Deprivation of Tech Workers (Boohoo)
18:48 Searching for that Inspired Flow State
19:37 Burn the Boats
20:04 Risk Aversion, Does the Risk-Reward Make Sense?
21:18 Would You Do it Again If You Knew How Hard It Would Be?
21:40 Andrew’s Lowest Low, The Feeling of Defeat
23:32 The Core Hardware Skill of Managing Your Own Mental Health
25:05 How Did Hanna Bail Nanu Out When They Ran Out of Money
26:04 How to Fund via the SBA Small Business Administration Pathway
26:44 Debt Financing, Loans, Adjustable Rates
27:30 Motivations Behind the Physical Acoustic Chime Bar Versus a Speaker Module
29:53 How Andrew Picked Up Electrical Engineering Expertise as a MechE
30:46 How Much Engineering Can You Offload to Your Manufacturing Partners?
32:15 How to Choose a Factory Partner, By Product Category or By Product Quality
33:30 How Nanu Found Their Partner, How to “Break Into China” & Predatory Suppliers
34:51 How They Decided to Pay $$$$ to Bring In Engineering Consulting Help
36:33 Experience vs Expectations (It’s Way Worse)
38:06 What Surprising Things Did You Learn Along the Way?
39:51 Tariffs, How Tariffs Work and are Applied
41:32 Can People Still Build Overseas Despite Tariffs? China, Speed to Market, Supply Chains
43:45 If You Could Go Back in Time, What Would You Do Differently? Launch Sequencing
44:10 Advice to People Wanting to Launch their own Hardware Products
44:51 What Special Sauce You Need to Launch Hardware
46:05 Building in Public
48:25 Wrap Up and Coupon Code
49:22 Opinions on Arc and Product Design

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