Before thriving, a startup must first survive, and sometimes achieving product-market fit takes longer than expected, requiring patience and strategic adjustments.

In the early days of a startup, survival is crucial; as CEO, you're either making money, saving money, or raising money.

Avoid playing status games in startups; instead, focus on building and solving real problems, as this is where true innovation happens.

I believe most hardware founders should be 90% focused on operational efficiency and survival, and only 10% on design innovation initially.

Startups should focus on being 'default alive', meaning they should aim to survive without needing to raise more money.

Startups should prioritize generating revenue as early as possible to ensure they can survive in uncertain conditions, which is a key aspect of being 'default alive'.

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

When you're a startup before achieving product-market fit, thinking long term seems preposterous because you might not even have a long term to consider. You're focused on survival, not on future plans.

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