Beyond the pitch: The founder’s journey
Building a hardware startup is rarely a linear process. The path from a technical concept to a functional company is filled with specific challenges that range from fundraising to building out supply chains. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a new course titled Founder’s Journey: Launching and Scaling Hardware Startups aims to provide students with a grounded look at these realities. By bringing in alumni who have navigated the startup world, the program breaks down the myth that every successful business requires a completely reinvented model. Many of the hurdles founders face are recurring, and learning from those who have already cleared them saves significant time and effort.
The course features speakers who founded companies across robotics, 3D printing, energy, and consumer goods. Among the contributors are veterans like Colin Angle, who built iRobot, and Maxim Lobovsky of Formlabs. These founders discuss the technical and operational choices that defined their companies. Angle speaks to the importance of a clear, ambitious vision, while others focus on the tactical steps of reducing costs or securing early capital. For example, the team behind Formlabs managed to lower 3D printing costs by replacing older industrial parts with modern consumer electronics. Their stories show that success often comes from a mix of persistence and the ability to solve immediate, specific problems.
Another perspective comes from Elise Strobach of AeroShield, who notes that the seeds of entrepreneurship are often planted during academic research long before a student considers themselves a business owner. This realization is a core part of the class, encouraging students to view their own academic work as the starting point for innovation. Whether it is refining transparent aerogels or building CAD systems for global manufacturing, these alumni demonstrate that entrepreneurship is a practice that can be studied and understood. The goal is to move beyond the pitch and prepare students for the actual work of bringing complex technology to the market.