Thanks to the decreasing cost of prototyping, it's more feasible for professional makers and first-time entrepreneurs to launch a hardware startup. But exactly how do you go about it? This book provides the roadmap and best practices you need for turning a product idea into a full-fledged business. Written by three experts from the field, The Hardware Startup takes you from idea validation to launch, complete with practical strategies for funding, market research, branding, prototyping, manufacturing, and distribution. Two-dozen case studies of real-world startups illustrate possible successes and failures at every stage of the process. Validate your idea by learning the needs of potential users Develop branding, marketing, and sales strategies early on Form relationships with the right investment partners Prototype early and often to ensure you're on the right path Understand processes and pitfalls of manufacturing at scale Jumpstart your business with the help of an accelerator Learn strategies for pricing, marketing, and distribution Be aware of the legal issues your new company may face

About the Author
Renee DiResta is a Principal at O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures (OATV), where she invests in seed-stage technology startups (both hardware and software), researches emerging technology trends, and supports portfolio companies. She is also a member of the O'Reilly Radar team. Prior to OATV, Renee spent seven years as an equity derivatives trader at Jane Street Capital, a quantitative proprietary trading firm in New York City. For fun, she plays with data sets, helps run The Maker Map open-source project, and is a Maker and crafter. Renee holds a B.S. in both Computer Science and Political Science from the Honors College of SUNY Stony Brook. She blogs about her interests and data projects at http://noupsi.de and can be found on Twitter at @noupside. Brady Forrest is Chair of O'Reilly's Where 2.0 and Emerging Technology conferences. Additionally, he co-Chairs Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, Berlin and NYC. Brady writes for O'Reilly Radar tracking changes in technology. He previously worked at Microsoft on Live Search (he came to Microsoft when it acquired MongoMusic). Brady lives in Seattle, where he builds cars for Burning Man and runs Ignite. You can track his web travels at Truffle Honey. Ryan Vinyard is the Engineering Lead at Highway1, a hardware-focused startup accelerator located in San Francisco under parent company PCH International. He is a mechanical engineer who came to PCH through its consulting arm Lime Lab, where he developed consumer products for Fortune 500 brands. Previously, Ryan worked at startups in the cleantech and electric vehicle space, where he developed novel powertrain, motor control, and thermal systems. Ryan holds a B.S. in Product Design from Stanford University.


Book Information
ISBN 9781449371036
Author Renee Diresta
Format Paperback
Page Count 250
Imprint O'Reilly Media
Publisher O'Reilly Media