Hardware Startups

Peter Sterios accidentally launched Manduka, a premium yoga mat company, after discovering a superior mat while practicing yoga. He invested $25,000 in inventory and grew the business by targeting prominent yoga teachers as influencers, building it into one of the best-known yoga accessory brands in the U.S. despite early cash flow challenges.

Dandelion Energy, founded by Kathy Hannun (formerly at Google's X innovation lab), is bringing geothermal heat pump technology to American households as a sustainable alternative to oil heating. The company focuses on making geothermal energy accessible for heating and cooling across the northeastern United States.

AMP Robotics, founded by Matanya Horowitz in 2014, developed robotic systems to automate waste sorting and recyclable separation in waste management facilities. The company tested and refined their technology using real-world materials, and today operates robots in hundreds of facilities worldwide. Their work addresses the challenge of increasing global recycling rates by improving sorting efficiency.

Zipline is a drone delivery company founded by Keller Rinaudo Cliffton that transformed from a smartphone robot company into a global on-demand delivery service. The company started by delivering critical medical supplies to hospitals in Rwanda, demonstrating Keller's belief that innovation can improve lives outside traditional markets. Zipline is now expanding into the commercial market, targeting partnerships with retailers like Walmart for same-day package delivery.

Aurora is an autonomous vehicle company founded by Chris Urmson, a pioneer in self-driving technology from Google/Waymo, to develop autonomous systems for semitrucks on America's freeways. The company aims to transform the trucking industry through advanced autonomous driving technology.

Light Phone is a hardware startup founded in 2014 by designers Kai Tang and Joe Hollier that creates simple mobile phones without apps or personal data tracking. The product was built in response to concerns about excessive smartphone usage and has been adopted by users across generations. The company represents an alternative movement toward a less-connected digital future.

Solo Stove grew from a modest DIY camping stove project into a 9-figure brand over nine years. Founded by brothers Spencer and Jeff Jan in 2010, they launched using Kickstarter and Amazon while operating remotely from Shanghai and Dallas. The brand achieved two 9-figure acquisitions, making both founders wealthy.

BETA Technologies is building zero-emission, battery-powered aircraft to revolutionize aviation and address the industry's emissions problem. Founded by Kyle Clark, the company is developing all-electric aircraft and establishing a national charging network infrastructure. The company was inspired by a chance encounter with United Therapeutics founder Martine Rothblatt.

Neurable is a brain-computer interface company founded by Ramses Alcaide that develops headphones capable of detecting and interpreting brain activity to help users optimize their work performance. The company's vision is to enable frictionless communication and control of digital tasks—from sending texts to controlling playlists—entirely through thought.

Biofire, founded by Kai Kloepfer, is developing the world's first handgun with an electronic firing system that unlocks via fingerprint or facial verification to prevent unauthorized use by children and adolescents. The company is beginning to ship its smart gun product early next year. Kloepfer spent over a decade designing this firearm as a solution to reduce gun deaths in America.

Malta Inc is an energy storage hardware company that spun out of Google's moonshot factory in 2018 to develop a molten salt-based energy storage solution. Founded by Ramya Swaminathan, who previously worked on hydropower companies, the company aims to solve the renewable energy transition challenge by storing electricity from wind and solar sources using molten salt and coolant rather than traditional batteries.

Priority Bicycles is a hardware company founded by Dave Weiner in 2014 that creates low-maintenance bikes with rust-proof aluminum frames and carbon fiber belt drives. The company achieved major traction through a Kickstarter campaign that generated 1,500 orders, and has since grown to sell approximately 25,000 bikes annually across 25 models, with partnerships including hotels providing bikes for guests.

Intuitive Machines is a hardware company founded by Steve Altemus focused on developing commercial spacecraft to reach the moon. The company addresses resource scarcity and environmental challenges by exploring the logistics and economics of lunar operations. Steve Altemus emphasizes embracing failure as a critical component of advancing hard technological problems in the emerging commercial space industry.

Rivian manufactures all-electric vehicles that gained market traction through their distinctive design and innovative features. Despite early supply chain challenges and investor pullbacks, CEO RJ Scaringe has prioritized production scaling and announced a new mid-size SUV for 2026 release, along with plans to expand U.S. charging infrastructure.

Saysh is a women's athletic shoe company founded by Olympic track and field champion Allyson Felix and her brother Wes Felix after Allyson's departure from Nike over contract disputes and lack of maternal protections. The company focuses on designing shoes specifically for women's feet, a gap in the market most name brand shoes fail to address. Allyson wore Saysh shoes during her gold medal performance at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

BloomX is a hardware company founded by Thai Sade that develops crop-pollinating technology to replicate natural pollinators like bees. The company was inspired by Thai's upbringing on a kibbutz and addresses the critical challenge of declining bee populations threatening global food supply. BloomX is also contributing to rainforest conservation efforts in Latin America.

ICON is a hardware company founded by Jason Ballard that uses advanced 3D printing technology to manufacture disaster-resilient homes from concrete. The company aims to solve affordable housing and homelessness on a global scale by dramatically reducing construction time and costs compared to traditional building methods.

Aptera Motors is a revived auto manufacturer designing a plug-in electric hybrid vehicle powered by solar energy. The car can run up to 40 miles on a single solar-powered charge, addressing the high energy requirements of traditional vehicles. Co-CEO Steve Fambro shares how the once-defunct company was revived through the promise of solar technology.

Sonos was founded in 2002 by John MacFarlane to create wireless home audio systems at a time when streaming and the iPod were brand new. The team engineered high-quality wireless sound systems and integrated them with mobile technology, eventually adding support for voice assistants like Siri and Alexa. Today, Sonos is an established player in the music hardware market with projected annual sales exceeding $1.5 billion.

Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, former Apple product leaders responsible for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, launched a screenless wearable pin designed to be a personal assistant. The product addresses their concern about the downsides of screen-dependent devices by offering AI-powered assistance without a display.