Unlocking Smart Home Innovations with August Home

February 9th, 2026  |  Season 2  |  32 mins 17 secs

In this episode of the Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman engage with Tiffany Mayo, the Director of Product Management for Connected Devices at Yale and August home. The conversation traces Tiffany's professional transition from marketing to product management, highlighting the unique complexities of managing hardware products compared to software.

Tiffany breaks down the critical need for effective communication between hardware and software teams and emphasizes the importance of rigorous testing in the development cycle. She also shares insights on creating a structured curriculum for new product managers and how building strong, authentic relationships within teams is the secret weapon for successful project execution.

Finding the Beachhead: How Bailout Systems Pivoted from Firefighting to Arboriculture

January 26th, 2026  |  Season 2  |  39 mins 10 secs

In this episode of the Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman connect with Michael Ragsdale, Founder of Bailout Systems, and engineer Alex Bowersox. Born from a tragic events of Black Sunday, Bailout Systems has evolved into a key player in the arbor market. Michael explains the strategic pivot that made this possible, while Alex sheds light on the engineering hurdles involved in building life-saving climbing devices.

Together, the group discusses the realities of securing funding through pitch competitions, the necessity of founder-led sales, and the often-overlooked challenge of managing mental health while building a hardware company. This conversation offers a transparent look at the decade of work required to turn a safety concept into a market-ready product.

Revolutionizing Meal Prep: The Hot Logic Story

January 19th, 2026  |  Season 2  |  56 mins 35 secs

In this episode of the Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman sit down with Bernie Youngblood, Director of Partnerships at Hot Logic, to discuss the intersection of food tech and modern entrepreneurship. Bernie shares the story behind Hot Logic and its mission to disrupt the workplace dining experience by replacing the traditional microwave with a solution that prioritizes nutrition, food safety, and genuine convenience.

Beyond the hardware, the conversation delves into the grit and "brute force" often required to bring innovative products to market. Bernie offers a candid perspective on the evolution of sales strategies, arguing that in today's noisy digital landscape, authenticity and relationship-building are the only ways to truly connect with customers. This episode serves as a guide for founders looking to push boundaries, embrace discomfort, and lead with value.

Unlocking Consumer Insights with Smari

January 14th, 2026  |  Season 2  |  47 mins 45 secs

In this episode of the Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman sit down with Katie Ittenbach and Mike York from SMARI to demystify the world of modern market research. The group discusses how research methodologies have evolved beyond traditional tactics and the specific mistakes hardware companies often make when trying to define their audience.

Beyond the theory, the episode highlights the importance of timing—knowing exactly when to engage in research and how to recruit the right participants. The discussion centers on a real-world case study involving HOOPTEQ, a startup creating a portable basketball shooting machine. By analyzing the HOOPTEQ example, Katie and Mike demonstrate how identifying an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data can drastically shift a product's development trajectory and market strategy.

Revolutionizing Healthcare with Smart Wearables

January 13th, 2026  |  Season 2  |  33 mins 8 secs

In this episode of the Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman dive into the intersection of wearable technology and clinical healthcare with Sharlene Jerome of Sensoria Health Inc. The conversation chronicles Sensoria’s fascinating transformation from a performance-sock startup into a powerhouse of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). Sharlene provides an inside look at how the company successfully navigated the shift toward AI-integrated medical solutions and the critical role that clinical validation plays when partnering with major healthcare institutions.

From refining their business model to sharing real-world success stories, Sharlene offers a transparent look at what it takes to scale a medtech company. This episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in how smart hardware and artificial intelligence are reshaping the future of patient care and remote diagnostics.

From Formula 1 to Medtech: Geoff Hutchins from IntuiTap Medical

December 9th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  43 mins 42 secs

In this episode, DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman sit down with Geoff Hutchins, VP of Operations at IntuiTap Medical, to discuss how the company developed the first FDA-cleared device for imaging and localizing lumbar puncture sites. Geoff shares insights from 30+ years across Formula 1 engineering, large medtech corporations, and early-stage startups, offering a masterclass on navigating concept development, De Novo submissions, design controls, clinical risk, and value-based care. This conversation breaks down the real challenges of building a medical device company from aligning teams around the true clinical problem to raising capital, mitigating risk, planning milestones, and managing technical and organizational complexity.

Reinventing Concussion Diagnosis with Oculogica

December 1st, 2025  |  Season 2  |  30 mins 30 secs

In this episode, DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman sit down with Joel Sanderson, CTO of Oculogica, the company behind the FDA-cleared EyeBOX, a groundbreaking eye-tracking device that objectively assesses concussions without requiring a baseline test. Joel walks through the origins of the technology, the engineering behind high-frame-rate eye tracking, De Novo FDA clearance, shrinking the device from research prototype to portable clinical tool, and the challenges of building hardware, optics, AI, and clinical validation into one unified product. This episode dives deep into what it really takes to build hard tech in the medical device world.

The Hinckley Medical Story with Founder/CEO Tristian Hazlett

November 24th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  42 mins 2 secs

Founder Tristan Hazlett shares how he turned a simple insight “paramedics have no way to measure patient weight” into a fully engineered, FDA-regulated hardware product now deployed across 27 states. Tristan walks through solving the technical challenges behind building a mobile, waterproof, multi-sensor gurney-mounted scale capable of accurate readings at any angle. He explains the realities of building medical hard tech: manufacturing struggles, field-test failures, regulatory hurdles, rapid iteration, and scaling a 10-person engineering-led team. The episode highlights Hinckley Medical’s impact on EMS dosing accuracy, founder lessons learned, and the emotional highs and lows of building hard tech that genuinely saves lives.

Designing Joy Through Hardware: Ashley from Aura Frames

October 28th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  51 mins 56 secs

In this episode of The Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman talk with Ashley Phillips, Head of Product at Aura Frames, about building hardware that connects families through shared memories. Ashley shares her journey from software to hardware, Aura’s vertically integrated approach to design and engineering, and how the company creates “joy delivery devices” that millions of people love. The conversation explores Aura’s product philosophy, their decision to forgo subscriptions, and how product-market fit can be achieved by focusing relentlessly on customer happiness.

From Apple to AI Soccer Cameras: Alex Krause from Trace

October 14th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  40 mins 16 secs

In this episode of The Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman sit down with Alex Krause, Director of Hardware at Trace, to explore how AI, hardware, and software intersect in the world of sports technology. Alex shares his journey from building Face ID systems at Apple to leading hardware innovation at Trace where his team designs AI-powered soccer cameras that capture every play automatically. The conversation dives into hardware-as-a-service, the balance between edge and cloud computing, and the lessons learned from building scalable, user-first products in a fast-moving industry.

Redefining Men's Sexual Wellness: Jeff Bennett founder of MOR

October 14th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  39 mins 56 secs

In this episode of The Hardtech Podcast, DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman interview Jeff Bennett, founder and CEO of Morari Medical, a company pioneering innovation in sexual wellness through neurostimulation technology. Jeff discusses his journey from the medical device world to launching a groundbreaking wellness product that empowers men with safe, effective, and stigma-free solutions. The conversation covers FDA approval, user experience design, direct-to-consumer marketing, and the realities of fundraising in a sensitive category.

Smarter Training, Fewer Injuries with VERT Performance

October 6th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  52 mins 6 secs

In this episode of The Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman sit down with David Gil, Managing Partner at VERT Performance, to explore how technology is revolutionizing the world of volleyball. The conversation dives into how jump tracking, load management, and landing mechanics are shaping the next generation of athlete performance and injury prevention.