Tesla · Automotive
Model S & Model X
Drive unit and inverter
Lead Engineer
Hardware advisor & operator
I help hardware companies get from prototype to scale.
Product definition, engineering, manufacturing and operations. Advice from someone who has done the job: COO and CPTO at multiple hardware startups, product development leader at Apple, Tesla and Google, and advisor to companies from early-stage startups to Fortune 500-scale global manufacturers.
Guest lecturer, UC San Diego and Santa Clara University
Operated at
Apple
Tesla
Google
Shaper
Fellow
Who I advise
From first prototype to established players
Startups
Founders building their first product
Hands-on guidance on requirements, engineering, manufacturing partners and the operating model, before the expensive mistakes get locked in.
Established companies
Global manufacturers building something new
Board-level advisory to Fortune 500-scale companies on new products, ventures and the teams that build them.
How I help
Where hardware startups get stuck
Hardware is hard in predictable places. I work alongside founders and leadership teams at the points where getting it wrong costs the most.
01
Product definition
Bringing structure to the early, nebulous phase: product roadmapping, then turning the market need into clear requirements (MRD to PRD to ERD) so the team builds the right thing first.
02
Engineering & NPI
Architecture, build planning and the EVT/DVT/PVT gates that take a prototype to something you can produce.
03
Manufacturing scale-up
Choosing and managing contract manufacturers, supply chain and quality as volumes climb.
04
Operations & teams
Building the hardware, ops and supply organization: hiring, structure and process that hold up as you grow.
Ways to work together
Intro call
A focused session on one problem: a product decision, a manufacturing choice, a hire.
Book on IntroOngoing advisor
Regular time with founders and leadership through a build, a launch or a scale-up. [Confirm format]
Get in touchBoard & corporate advisory
Board seats and advisory roles with established companies launching new hardware products and ventures.
Get in touchSelected work
Products I've worked on
The experience behind the advice: hardware I've helped define, engineer and bring to production.
Teaching, podcasts & articles
On building hardware
Teaching
Guest lecturer, UC San Diego and Santa Clara University
Product development, design for manufacturing and taking hardware from prototype to production.
Podcasts & talks
- From Idea to Launch: The Essentials of Product Design & Development Oceanside Perspective, LITE Talk · 2025
- Who, What, How [of Product Development] Oceanside Chat · S1 Ep 3, Part 1
- Designing Your Career Oceanside Chat · S1 Ep 3, Part 2
- Working for Apple, Tesla and Google Being an Engineer · 2022
Article
- JDM Operational Excellence in Production Instrumental, Build Better Handbook · Contributor · 2024
Let's talk
Building hardware? Let's get it to scale.
Tell me where you are (first prototype, first factory, or first big ramp) and we'll work out what matters next.