Other for Hardware Startups

Peter Metcalf acquired bankrupt Chouinard Equipment in 1989 and relaunched it as Black Diamond Equipment, capitalizing on the growing sport climbing trend. He took on significant personal debt to fund the venture. Black Diamond Equipment grew into one of the most recognizable outdoor brands in the world.

Specialized Bicycle Components was founded by Mike Sinyard in the 1970s to sell high-quality bike parts and eventually became a pioneer in mass-producing mountain bikes. The company grew to tens of millions in revenue by the 1990s but faced near-bankruptcy after poor business decisions before recovering. Today, Specialized is an industry leader generating around $500 million in annual sales.

Proto is a hardware startup founded by David Nussbaum that created a telephone booth-sized device projecting realistic holographic images to enable virtual presence. The technology is currently used to transport professors, doctors, speakers, and celebrities to classrooms, hospitals, and events globally, with the founder's vision of eventually bringing the technology into consumer living rooms.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cruise is an autonomous vehicle company founded by Kyle Vogt in 2013 that builds fully driverless 'robo taxis'. The company was acquired by General Motors three years after launch and now operates driverless vehicles in San Francisco with plans to expand to more U.S. cities.

SOURCE is a hardware company founded by engineering professor Cody Friesen that manufactures solar-powered 'hydropanels' to capture water vapor from the air and convert it into drinking water. The company, based in Arizona, has scaled to serve more than 50 countries worldwide since its 2014 launch. SOURCE aims to become the world's first renewable, fully-digitized drinking water utility.

S'well is a hardware company founded by Sarah Kauss in 2009 that designs insulated water bottles that keep beverages at desired temperatures while maintaining aesthetic appeal. The company achieved $100 million in revenue within six years of launch, and now focuses on sustainability and eliminating plastic waste globally.

Roam is a premium luggage brand launched by Charlie Clifford, the founder of Tumi, who has spent nearly 50 years in the luggage industry. After building Tumi into a globally recognized brand with stores in airports and shopping malls worldwide, Clifford has leveraged his expertise to create another premium luggage offering. The company represents a continuation of Clifford's mission to build distinctive, durable travel gear for discerning customers.