TRADEOFFS: The Hardware Startup Podcast

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Nate Padgett and Chris Rill go hands-on exploring the world of hardware startups. Each month they interview founders, early team members, and industry leaders to uncover the secrets behind building successful products. From the best practices of product design, to the ins and outs of manufacturing, they leave no stone unturned in their mission to help budding entrepreneurs succeed. Join them on their journey and get the inside scoop on all the exciting and innovative developments in the hardware startup world.

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Design and Engineering Shouldn't Be Separate Islands | Pensar, Tactile, Mathscaper, Vector7 | Rob Leonard

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Lessons from a Recovering Hardware Founder | Bluesmart, ROOM, Kite Compliance | Brian Chen

For this episode, we sat down with Brian Chen, founder and CEO of Kite Compliance, an AI-powered product-compliance platform built to make certification faster, safer,...

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Building Teams That Scale And What Happens When They Don't | Peloton, Meta, Blaze Talent | Will Blaze

On this episode, we sat down with Will Blaze, technical recruiter and founder of Blaze Talent, where he helps hardware and AI companies scale their engineering teams. ...

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T-26-012 : Founders From The Show Floor - CES 2026

Chris and Nate come to you from the Eureka Park at the Consumer Electronics Show for their first ever video pod! Eureka Park is the show’s designated area for early st...

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T-26-011 : Happy CES-mas

In this episode of TradeOffs, Nate and Chris ring in the new year with a look back at some headlines from 2025 and a preview of CES 2026. They discuss the "hardware re...

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