Raising money through crowdfunding can lead to negative public perception if a product fails to deliver, making it a risky strategy for hardware companies.

Crowdfunding can create significant challenges for hardware startups, as many founders lack a clear understanding of costs and timelines, leading to unmet expectations.

Building a hardware startup is tough but doable; focus on sequencing your product launches to build credibility before expanding your offerings.

Crowdfunding can be useful at the early stage to raise funds for a working prototype, especially for hardware engineers with limited resources.

I recommend not trying to create a massive marketing campaign for crowdfunding at the start, as it often leads to failure in delivering the product.

For hardware projects, consider starting with software solutions to validate ideas before investing in physical products.

For consumer hardware startups, having a critical fundraising roadmap is essential to reach escape velocity and ensure long-term success.

Most startups should wait to pitch to press until they have a launched product and some early users to engage their audience effectively.

We decided to create our own hardware device instead of licensing our technology, believing we could do it better ourselves. Building consumer hardware as a startup was considered totally insane in the early 2000s, with very few successful examples to follow.