Equity · Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Mina Faimi described the hardware development process in two phases: prototyping and productizing. He noted that while prototyping has become easier with quick-turn fabricators, productizing remains challenging due to rigorous testing, volume, margins, logistics, and customer support requirements. The 're-skinning' approach to existing devices has become more accessible.
“So, um, there are almost two phases, uh, at a very high level, uh, as I see it in developing hardware. There is prototyping and exploring an idea. And then there is productizing. Manufacturing, packaging, bringing it to market.”
“On the prototyping side, things have become much easier. There are quick turn fabricators that can get you 3D printed housings, that can get you custom PCBs.”
“Then on the productizing side, some paths are easier, some paths are still really hard.”