/ About this event
Hardware 101 for Software Founders Everything we learned building an AI device between the Bay Area and Shenzhen
Most founders in this city have shipped software. Very few have shipped a physical thing, and the ones who tried mostly learned the expensive way. This is one hour of the expensive lessons, free.
Harrison Jiang is the CEO of Waybox, building Miles — an AI passenger for your car — and flies to Shenzhen regularly to make it real. He'll walk through what actually happens between "we have a prototype" and "2,000 units in boxes": what EVT, DVT and PVT each really test; how BOM, tooling, NRE and MOQ turn into a gross margin (or don't); how to pick an ODM and what to check in the contract before you sign; what FCC certification costs in time and money, and how one module choice can break it; and how to run Shenzhen from San Francisco.
Nothing theoretical. The real prototypes, boards, enclosure samples and a (redacted) BOM will be on the table. Pick them up. Ask about them.
You'll leave with a one-page Hardware 101 cheat sheet, a working vocabulary, and the ten things he wishes someone had told him when he started.
Who it's for: software founders considering a hardware product, engineers curious about physical products, and investors who want to understand what they're funding.
🗓 [Thu, Oct 8, 2026] · Doors 5:30 PM · Talk 6:00 PM · Q&A until 7:15 PM Limited to 50. Approval required — tell us what you're building.
After the talk we're hosting a small dinner for hardware founders and investors. If that's you, say so when you RSVP.
We're also hiring in SF (Full-Stack Engineer, Chief of Staff). Come meet the team. This event is a part of #SF TechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
