Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#111

Post by anujdeshpande » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:06 PM UTC

erohead wrote: post #110

anujdeshpande wrote: post #104

A lot of the advice seems to be geared towards B2C startups. Most startups http://www.ycombinator.com/hardware/ seem B2C too. A lot of the reports/blogs/opinions of the Interweb suggest that connected hardware will make the most sense in industrial and smart city kind of environments (which are probably more B2B than B2C) in the early days. Would you advise differently for people working on B2B? - Getting early proto…

- stick through it! You should be able to find early customers who are willing to work with early prototypes, even when asking them to pay. Just make sure you give them insanely good customer support. Consider flying out to get them set up! Don't wait til v1.0 to sell, get out there sooner. - I'd recommend sticking to a local fulfillment service that has great customer support for your early shipments. There is absol…

Static for BLE as we do a battery pack kind of a thing and don't want to do something very power intensive. The WiFi one's are 2 types, RGB panels, as well as static posters with capacitive touch in certain regions (apart from the voice).

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#112

Post by prbuckley » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:08 PM UTC

How much do you think about a post crowdfunding customer acquisition strategy before launching a crowd funding campaign? It seems like crowd funding can get initial attention but doesn't necessarily make a sustained business.

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#113

Post by pmalynin » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:23 PM UTC

Hykso wrote: post #88

thirru wrote: post #79

Hey Martin from ShapeScale (S15) here. Did any of you attempt any influencer marketing? (celebrities or connectors on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat) If so, how well did it work and did you pay them (if so what was the model, commission, or up-front payment). Would you do it again?

Hi Martin, We actually went through some influencers on our side (known fighters or coaches). It definitely helped gain a lot of credibility on our end because if it was that much of a revolutionary product, why would pro athletes not use it amd endorse it. so for us it helped a lot convince our customers that it was a legit product. However, we have been offered to post on a few famous people pages for 5k but we did…

"why would pro athletes not use it amd [sic] endorse it",

Well, you could have paid them.

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#114

Post by dchmiel » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:24 PM UTC

What is your approach to looking at security for your hardware and data during prototyping and testing with early clients? How would you minimize what data is collected to maximize what you can learn to improve your product and service?

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#115

Post by cfederico » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:26 PM UTC

Hykso wrote: post #72

cfederico wrote: post #67

Hi Guys, we are a hardware startup developing a smart LED lamp. We plan to launch a Kickstarter campaign late Q3 and now we are testing the product with our early adopters. - What is the best way to get traction on the product before launching the campaign? - How much money you need to set up a good marketing Kickstarter campaign ? Is it needed to use a good PR agency ? (Any suggestions about a good PR agency ? ) Tha…

Build an email list! And try to pump up the subscriptions with different sales channels - you'll be able to know which ones work best for your business before launching your campaign

Gotcha! So, we could start collect email with our first early customer interviews and then email them once we open the pre-order campaign ?

- About Hykso, which sales channels worked better ?

- Is it better to launch a pre-order campaign on our website, before launching the Kickstarter campaign ?

Thank you

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#116

Post by martinushk » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:26 PM UTC

Hi guys. What did YC helped you the most with? I guess none of you had the product on the market while being in the batch (maybe I'm wrong?).

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#117

Post by louprado » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:32 PM UTC

Last month my hardware start-up was almost shut down because our power supplies are CEC efficiency level 5 and not 6. Customs would have seized our entire last shipment. Prior to that I got a cease and desist from the Bluetooth SIG unless I immediately paid $2500 to $10000. I paid immediately.

I have no problem following regulations and paying for licenses. The problem is getting blind-sided by it. I still don't even understand if I need a RoHS certification to ship in my home state of California. Is there any resource you found helpful ? Thanks in advance.

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#118

Post by jonbarker » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:37 PM UTC

What are some cost effective options for rapid prototyping (preferably mostly doing it myself in a shop type environment) in the bay area?

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#119

Post by JonFish85 » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:48 PM UTC

louprado wrote: post #117

Last month my hardware start-up was almost shut down because our power supplies are CEC efficiency level 5 and not 6. Customs would have seized our entire last shipment. Prior to that I got a cease and desist from the Bluetooth SIG unless I immediately paid $2500 to $10000. I paid immediately. I have no problem following regulations and paying for licenses. The problem is getting blind-sided by it. I still don't even…

"I have no problem following regulations and paying for licenses. The problem is getting blind-sided by it. I still don't even understand if I need a RoHS certification to ship in my home state of California. Is there any resource you found helpful ? Thanks in advance."

At least in my own work this has been something that pops up time & time again. Not only are there regulations that are tricky to nail down, there are things like intellectual property that you may not even be aware you're using. Build a blinking LED to detect activity on a data line? Wouldn't be surprised to receive a letter from a law firm. And unfortunately I don't know of any great ways to avoid the nasty surprise of receiving patent-backed threats. Personally I think this is why the big companies bulk up on patents, so that they can at least promise Mutually Assured Destruction against each other. For smaller companies & people selling products, you're probably infringing on some patent that they own without even realizing it.

Re: Ask Us Anything: Y Combinator Hardware Companies Crowdfunding

#120

Post by spacebug » Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 7:48 PM UTC

What is Your thought on shiping prototype stage products to early backer as a way of getting user feedback. Even if product is not yet certified, with the promise that you will ship them the finished product?

This way you are not selling the product you shipped them, so I'm not sure what are regulations regarding this strategy. The product would be clearly labeled as prototype version and not fit for end use.

Bonus points for complexity: The product is intended for children age 6+.