#066 - How to apply lean startup principles to hardware, with Ash Maurya of Leanstack, USA

The Hardware Entrepreneur

I have a very special guest, one of the pioneers of one of the most popular innovation frameworks these days: the lean startup framework. My guest is Ash Maurya, who along with Eric Ries, did some substantial work in this field, laying the foundations of this concept.

You’ll learn in this episode why this idea is still important today, especially in hardware field after it was born around the last financial crisis. You’ll get to hear also what companies are using it, some tactics you can use to make it work for you and also how others use it so you can get inspired. Ash will describe some of the steps, milestones you should hit during the development. In addition he’ll highlight some of the latest cutting-edge innovation topics he’s been working on which connects with my one of past episodes, episode 18 with Alan Klement when we discussed the Jobs To Be Done framework.

Enjoy this episode.

Raw transcript is available at: https://www.thehardwareentrepreneur.com

Show highlights can be seen below:

• The trigger behind the creation of the Lean Startup innovation framework [1:56]
• Some examples of big and small companies that prove Lean Startup principles are universal when applying the right tactics [7:24]
• Strategies that hardware startups use to go faster than their competitors [10:27]
• The three stages of Lean Startup, the risks associated with them and recommendations on how to move successfully through each one [16:18]
• Running Lean, Scaling Lean and the Customer Forces Canvas – when and how to use them [24:25]
• How a fisherman in South America surprisingly benefited from Lean Startup principles [29:11]
• If you could go back in time in your 20s, what notes would you give yourself? [34:08]
• If you had to name a book, which one had the biggest impact on your entrepreneurial career? [34:48]
• A routine hack for accomplishment-driven makers [36:25]
• Why sharing stories help us thrive in cultures with different nuances [38:00]
• What is the best way to reach Ash? [40:28]