This might sound obvious but we're often surprised at how many HW startup founders haven't done the following basic analysis. Fundamentally you must figure out how much your product will cost before you can calculate how much money you'll need to raise (through VC, crowdfunding etc). The tricky part, of course, is calculating the cost.

You essentially have to investigate: 1. How much will parts manufacturing cost? 2. How long will manufacturing take?

Whatever you come up with, add 6 months to it.

What happens after your product ships and you run out of money? In this talk I walk you through the ups and downs of my last company. Get a rare glimpse behind the curtain to learn about how and why a venture-funded hardware startup went out of business. Find out what you can do to avoid a similar fate in your current or future company.