I help early-stage founders building real-world products - hardware, robotics, deep-tech, consumer goods - turn ideas into things that actually ship. I also work with the institutions, incubators, and maker communities that grow the next generation of builders.
What I consult on
Industrial & Product Design
Sketch to manufacturable CAD; form, function, and the details that decide whether a product feels cheap or considered.
Prototyping & Manufacturing
What it takes to make 1, then 10, then 100, then 1,000 - and the very different decisions each step demands.
User Research & Pilot Testing
Understanding who your user actually is, taking the prototype out to them, and iterating until it genuinely works.
Pitch & Investor Readiness
Narrative, deck, and demo strategy for founders pitching hardware to investors who default to SaaS.
Programme & Lab Design
For incubators, accelerators, and FabLabs setting up or scaling their innovation infrastructure.
Teaching & Programme Delivery
Fab Academy instruction (in partnership with Fab Foundation / MIT), guest lecturing, design juries and programme advisory.
The Agile Way
I work in 4-8 week sprints with founders, adapting as we learn together. Short cycles, tight feedback loops, and continuous iteration mean we're always moving toward something real - not perfecting something theoretical. The brief evolves. So does the work.
The Lean Way
Lean thinking optimises for removing waste - but in early-stage hardware, you can't always know what's waste until you've tried it. Premature optimisation cuts corners that matter. I'd rather move fast with room to learn than move slow with no room to fail.
Who I work with
Founders
- Early-stage hardware and deep-tech startups
- Founders building physical products who need design and engineering hands on the problem
- Teams navigating the gap between prototype and first production run
- Entrepreneurs pitching to investors who've never touched a physical product
Institutions
- Innovation labs, FabLabs, and maker spaces building programmes
- Incubators and accelerators scaling their design and hardware tracks
- Universities and design schools (juries, lectures, workshops)
- Organisations establishing prototyping and design infrastructure from scratch
Working on something I can help with? Email me at gawde.design@gmail.com, book a call →, or drop a note here →