Hardware Founder Toolkit
Free resources for inventors and hardware founders, from hardware engineers: check your idea, estimate what it will cost, find the certifications you need and plan production. Every result is free on the page, and you don’t need an email to see it.
Free interactive tools
Each one asks plain questions, shows your result straight away, and lets you download a PDF to share with a co-founder, an investor or an engineer.
Answer 10 plain questions to see if your invention is ready to build, and what could stop it.
Answer 5 questions to find the AI chip your device needs, and what it will cost to run.
Answer 8 questions for a cost range for every stage still ahead, and how many months it takes.
Answer 8 questions to see which US tests and marks your product likely needs, and why.
Free checklists and scorecards
Read every item free on the page. Enter your email for the PDF, which adds what to ask for, a way to score it and space to sign each one off.
The 24 questions to ask any hardware development firm before you hire, and how to score their answers.
The 30 checks to work through with your factory before you pay the deposit.
The 30 files, code, keys and accounts you should own before the final payment.
Four tests and a deposit test for business owners whose customers keep asking for something.
Price ceiling, power and climate, certificates and channel, checked for each market you plan to sell in.
Six questions to choose a first product at a trade fair or online, and whether a small company can build it.
Free templates and guides
Fill them in with your engineers. Everything is free on the page; enter your email for the PDF to fill in, and for the Excel and Google Sheets versions where there is one.
The 9 tests to run before you pay for tooling, with the standard and pass rule for each.
Every cost from feasibility to first production run, with typical ranges from our cost guide.
Seven steps from idea to a product that sells, with a cost band and a timeline for each.
Compare up to three quotes on five things before the price, then see the real total.
Your real cost per unit, from the factory price through freight, duty and fees to your margin.
Eight small products that fix everyday complaints and skip the radio, the app and wall power.
Not sure where to start?
Tap the one that sounds most like you.
FAQ
Yes. Every tool shows your result straight away, and every checklist, scorecard, template and guide can be read in full on its page, without an email. You only enter an email to download a PDF copy, or the Excel and Google Sheets version of a template.
If you have an idea, start with the Invention Idea Checker. If you are pricing the build, use the Cost & Timeline Estimator and the Hardware Budget Template. If you are choosing a firm or a factory, use the Hardware Firm Hiring Scorecard and the First Production Run Checklist.
Inventors, first-time hardware founders, and software or product teams adding a physical device: anyone planning a hardware product who wants a straight answer before spending money.
Nothing is stored unless you download a copy. Then we keep your email, your role and a one-line summary of your result, so an engineer can follow up if you want. We never sell your details.
Yes. Bring your result, your checklist or your quotes to a free 30-minute call, and an engineer will tell you honestly what to tackle first.
Book a free 30-minute call with an engineer. We’ll look at your idea with you and tell you honestly what comes next.