The Builder Circle™: The Hardware Startup Success Podcast
Episodes
S3 E9 Scaling Mission-Critical Hardware: Ops Lessons from Space & Fusion with Darby Dunn
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Darby Dunn, embodying excellence in #manufacturing and #operations, she joins the show drawing from her tenure at SpaceX building the Dragon spacecraf...
S3 E8: Navigating and Managing Contract Manufacturers with Peter Russo
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Russo, entrepreneur and hardware mentor who has founded and sold multiple companies, shares decades of hard-won wisdom on working with contract ...
S3 E7: Building Bootstrapped Hardware That Sells with Christian Reed
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Christian Reed, CEO of Reekon Tools, shares how he bootstrapped a hardware company from a side project to a multi-million dollar (8 figure) business w...
For Hardware Startups by Hardware People: Building The Builder Circle with Host, Sera Evcimen
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Stay updated on hardware startup strategy packages (The Building Blocks by The Builder Circle) coming soon: https://forms.gle/8vQycwzeMvm43kPc6In this...
S3 E6: Building Innovation Moats with Open Hardware with Andrew "Bunnie" Huang
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We want to hear from you! Leave your feedback on the show: https://forms.gle/z5JS5t8dWG26jx5k7Why Listen? This episode dives deep into the realities o...
S3 E5: AI in Hardware: The Future of Design, Manufacturing, and Innovation with Kristen Edwards
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Host Sera Evcimen welcomes Kristen Edwards, CTO and co-founder of Pensa Technologies and PhD candidate at MIT, for a deep dive into the intersection o...
S3 E4: An Impact Hardware VC's Playbook with Carlota Ochoa from Extentia
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Carlota Ochoa is a Principal at Extantia Capital, leading UK operations for the fund. With a background in commodities at Merrill Lynch, operational e...
S3 E3: Accelerators, Incubators and How to Leverage Them with Raphaele Leyendecker
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode digs into incubators vs. accelerators for hardware founders, featuring Raphaele Leyendecker, Managing Director at Techstars Sustainabilit...
S3 E2: Export, Import, Tariffs, and Trade Compliance for Hardware Startups
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about navigating the complex world of tariffs and global trade compliance for hardware startups, featuring Gabrielle Griffith, Dir...
S3 E1: Mastering Tech Adoption and The Hardware Development Workflow with Jon Hirshtick
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about hardware, with none other than Jon Hirschtick, the mind behind SolidWorks and Onshape (onshape.pro/thebuildercircle). Jon ha...
S2 E9: Global Supply Chain Strategy with Ying Liu
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast episode features an in-depth conversation with Ying Liu CEO of BlueLake Packaging, a seasoned expert in hardware product development and ...
S2 E8: Quality Engineering and Strategy for Hardware with Matt Lipsitz
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Quality or sustaining engineering sound like big initiatives that only exist in big companies like GE or P&G but this is a common misconception in...
S2 E7: Intellectual Property Strategy for Hardware Startups with Troy Grabow
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, TBC host and Pratik founder Sera Evcimen has a discussion with patent attorney Troy Grabow about the importance of intellectual prope...
S2 E6: Complex System Development with Kristine Barnes
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kristine Barnes shares her extensive experience in the world of complex systems, straddling the fields of nuclear power and automotiv...
S2 E5: Rapid Prototyping Deep Dive with Greg Paulsen
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this deep-dive episode, Greg Paulsen, Director of Applications, Engineering and Marketing at Xometry, discusses the complexities and intricacies of...
S2 E4: Scaling up Manufacturing with Scott Miller
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Miller is back again on the Builder Circle! A true hardware veteran, in this episode we will be privileged enough to talk with him within the re...
S2 E3: Strategic Planning for Hardware Success with Pete Blake
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From leveraging your ecosystem to building your product roadmap and from managing your board to determining who to hire and why, this episode has it a...
S2 E2: Demystifying Medical Device and System Development with Alan Cohen
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features a conversation between host, Sera Evcimen, and Alan Cohen, author of 'Prototype to Product: A Practical Guide for Getting to Mar...
S2 E1: From Code to Creation: The Building Blocks of Firmware with Elecia White
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Elecia White has worked on DNA scanners, inertial measurement units for airplanes and race cars, toys for preschoolers, a gunshot location system for ...
S1 E9: Building a Strong Capital Stack for a Hardware Product with Orin Hoffman
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Orin Hoffman is a seasoned hardware veteran and VC investor passionate about enabling hardware through capital. In this episode we dive into two main ...
S1 E8: Tackling Industrial Design and Regenerative Materials with PROWL
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
PROWL is design and strategy studio helping companies reach their product design and climate goals. Lauryn Menard and Bailie Mischler (Davis) bring a ...
S1 E7: Level Up Your Hardware Product Pitch with Haje Kamps
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Haje Kamps is an entrepreneur, pitch coach, hardware enthusiast and former VC. He brings a wealth of experience and intuition around the art of pitchi...
S1 E6: Pivots, Trials, Errors, and Validation in Product Development with Madhavi Gavini
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this Hardware Case Study episode we talk to Madhavi Gavini, CEO of Droplette. If you are a founder, engineer, product team or builder who has the f...
S1 E5: The Path of Product Design for Successful Development with William Burke
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
William Burke is a seasoned mechanical engineer and hardware enthusiast. He is passionately building tools for the next generation of hardware enginee...
S1 E2: Mastering the Art of Modern Hardware Development and Innovation with Tyler Mincey
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we delve into the world of modern hardware development and uncover its intricacies. Tyler Mincey, shares invaluable experiences from ...
S1 E4: Cracking the Code of Hardware Manufacturing with Scott Miller
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Miller is a seasoned entrepreneur, engineer and supply chain/manufacturing expert. He has been involved in many teams that were focused on getti...
S1 E3: Navigating the Full Product Development Lifecycle with Bridget Hunter-Jones
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our first hardware case study episode, we talk to Bridget Hunter-Jones from Impact Biosystems, a startup developing an adaptive muscle scanner hard...
The Pilot: Unveiling the Blueprint of "The Builder Circle"
13 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing The Builder Circle, a podcast dedicated to helping individuals transform their ideas into physical systems and products. Created out of a ...