Get expert guidance and training to help you develop and sell a new electronic product
For entrepreneurs, startups, makers, inventors, and small companies
Already a member? Login here
Developing a new electronic product and bringing it to market is similar to traversing a minefield. Your chances of making it across successfully are slim if you try it alone.
You need a guide who has done it before, or better yet an entire team of experienced guides!
Unlike other companies out there that claim to help you bring a new product to life, what makes the Hardware Academy different is you get 100% unbiased advice.
We have no financial interest outside of the small monthly membership fee, so our advice is unbiased and honest.
The Hardware Academy has expanded my knowledge and understanding of the hardware product development process. It is a valuable resource for hardware developers and entrepreneurs, and provides opportunity for both broad learning, through following the discussions, as well as gaining help with specific questions or problems you might face during an individual project. Worth the price of admission.
Brian Wilson
Academy Member
Meet some of the experts waiting to help you inside the Hardware Academy:
Get access to experts, training, and resources in all of these areas:
Electronics Design
Programming
Mechanical Design
Prototyping
Certifications
Manufacturing
Marketing
Startups
Fundraising
Logistics
Patents
Sales
The Hardware Academy has been by far one of the biggest bangs for my buck when it comes to business and manufacturing advice. John Teel has managed to pool together subject matter experts of all kinds that provide meaningful answers through a simple yet effective online interface. There's no hassle. Just ask your question and let the answers pour in.
Lucas Schulte
Academy Member
I was hesitant on joining the Hardware Academy, but immediately first day in there all of those worries were gone. It was completely worth the value to get that knowledge from people that aren't trying to sell you something, and that's very valuable. That monthly fee, it's worth every penny. I already feel like I saved myself tons of headache.
Erik Hunter
Founder, InD Creation
For the first time ever, I have access to a dedicated online community highly knowledgeable in many different areas of hardware development. I can ask questions, see what others are asking which in many ways also applies to my own situations. The answers are always very illuminating. Additionally the platform itself provides technical resources critical to get started and improve on my hardware design and development skills. A dedicated online community highly knowledgeable in many different areas of hardware development, so that you do not get stuck during hardware development.
Tshoganyetso Mangadi
Academy Member
As a founder of a tech product who doesn't have a background in engineering, John and the other members of the community were really helpful. Their expertise is invaluable. The Hardware Academy is a great source of efficient and informative resources when creating an electronic product. I had a top-notch experience joining the Academy. John is truly an expert in his field and helps a lot of members from solving tough and impactful problems to aid in the creation of our projects. The Academy has provided me a professional, prompt and outstanding experience in my journey to create my tech device.
Margaret Cezar
Academy Member
Anyone that needs to get a hardware project done needs to be in the Academy. lnput from lots of great contributors. I use it as a knowledge base - I probably will not be the most active contributor but I find great value in the discussions. It has already answered questions for me that others have asked.
Michael O'Gorman
Academy Member
I would highly recommend the Hardware Academy as a place where the support of any kind, related to hardware design and product prototyping can be found. The Academy contains very useful courses, and the community is very active, there are a lot of actual questions with great, detailed and concise responses and all that is related to hardware design, the issues which everyone who deals with electronics design and development meets. I would especially mention the option of direct communication with John as the leading person of this great community. Not just that, a lot of experienced people who can also help with ideas, evaluation, guides and other things in order to make the reasonable choices in product design, development and marketing.
Nikola Pavlicevic
Academy Member
The Hardware Academy is the place to be if you are really committed to your transformation in order to become a hardware entrepreneur.
Dan Botezatu
Academy Member
The Hardware Academy provides a group of highly trained engineers to provide mentoring and an environment to thrive. If you're like me you've already spent endless hours scouring the internet for answers. Its tough to know where to even start. Now I'm surrounded by talented ambitious individuals who love to help others. They help motivate you and hold you accountable. It's so refreshing!
Kris Christopher
Founder, Grow-Nanny
I decided to give the Hardware Academy a shot and was very glad I did. I’ve spent the past couple years working on my IoT side project, spending countless hours researching every aspect of how to bring my boot-strapped product to market, but ran into roadblocks with technical and business issues I just couldn’t find the answers to and I wasn’t in a position to hire one-on-one consulting services. I was instantly connected to like-minded individuals with complimentary skillsets and was able to quickly get solutions to my lingering questions, including from John.
Nick S.
Academy Member
An excellent resource of supportive, experienced people willing and able to give lots of constructive criticism about hardware and business development.
Loring Robbins
Academy Member
If you are developing a product, it is strongly recommended you join the Hardware Academy to get access to the material and experts for guidance which may save you time and money in the long run.
Qandeel Sheikh
Academy Member
The people John has brought in to the Hardware Academy to help answer member’s questions are fantastic. They are very knowledgeable and responsive; better than I could have expected. I have learned a lot about some of the details often overlooked when you think about starting a business. Things like certifications, serial and part version numbers and tracking, and how to achieve effective customer support. The members are very helpful as well; the experience of many members is vast, and deep, and they are willing to help. This seems to have been by design. This is community is as advertised from the beginning.
Matt Fasano
Academy Member
The Hardware Academy has put me in touch with people that I never would have been able to communicate with that have the experience of designing a product or knowledge of the legal issues involved in the process. Being in the Academy has helped in the fact that you can talk to others who have gone through the process and made mistakes and you can gain the knowledge not to make the same mistakes. It gives you a route to take if you are going to bring a product to market, being able to talk to many people in different fields has been a godsend to get their opinions, expertise and guidance.
Trevor Martynook
Academy Member
There is very little that you will find available on the net that matches the breadth and depth of what the Hardware Academy can offer and all in one place. I have been able to find answers to questions that I have not been able to find anywhere else as there are many experts in the Academy from diverse backgrounds. It's getting that 'needle in the haystack' answer to a question that for me makes the Academy worth it even if I don't ask many questions. Sometimes all I want is not a specific answer but more of a reality check on what I am planning to do. Being pointed in the right direction can make all the difference in the world.
Lee Taylor
Academy Member
We guarantee that ALL questions are thoroughly answered by an expert in a timely fashion.
YOU GET SUPPORT FROM A TEAM OF EXPERTS PLUS:
COURSES AND LIVE WORKSHOPS
Get access to in-depth video courses and live workshops that will teach you all of the skills you need to succeed with your new electronic product.
Course topics include both technical and entrepreneurial topics. You get access to a large library of courses and workshops. We also hold regular live workshops.
Courses range in length from 1 to 4 hours of video.
• Hardware Roadmap: From Idea to Manufacturing
• Understanding Certifications and Regulatory Requirements
• How to Design Your Own Custom PCB
• Introduction to 3D Modeling
• Online Marketing and Building an Audience
• Defining and Validating Your Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
• Introduction to Power Management
• How to Estimate Your Product's Manufacturing Cost
• Introduction to PCB Design Using KiCad
• How to File a Provisional Patent Application (PPA)
• Introduction to Mechanical Design
• Supply Chain Management
• Design Your First PCB Boot Camp
• Introduction to PCB Manufacturing
• Beginners Introduction to Arduino
• Define Your Market and Find Your First Big Customers
• Full Product Design Process Masterclass (4 courses)
• How to Design Your Enclosure for Injection Molding
• Introduction to 3D Printing
• How to Build a Hardware Company, Not Just a Product
• How to Order PCBs
• How to Select the Wireless Tech for Your Product
• How to Talk to Customers
• Low-Volume Manufacturing Strategies and Methods
• Firmware Programming for STM32 Microcontrollers
• How to Protect Your Intellectual Property in China
• How to Find and Meet Customers
TRUSTED REFERRALS
You'll get access to a qualified list of over 200 developers, suppliers, and manufacturers. These are all companies that either I've used personally, or that have been recommended by other members.
This alone is worth the cost of the Academy! No longer do you have to guess who is best, or risk being ripped off. Now you get referrals for trusted developers, manufacturers, and suppliers.
RESOURCES
Members have full access to a library of resources specifically for entrepreneurs, startups, makers, inventors and small companies developing new electronic products.
This includes design review checklists, legal templates, in-depth guides, product teardown videos, and much more.
New content is added on a regular basis, and members always have access to the full library of resources.
THRIVING COMMUNITY
At the heart of the Hardware Academy is a thriving community with hundreds of entrepreneurs, startups, makers, inventors, and small companies with the same goals as you!
Whether you need feedback, support, or just want to connect with other hardware people the community is there for you. It's a friendly place where all questions are welcome regardless of your experience level.
The Academy community isn't at all like free forums you can find online.
We also hold regular 1:1 matchups between members at similar stages for short video chats. Mastermind groups and co-working sessions are also coming soon.
DISCOUNTS
All members receive discounts on related products and services from a variety of vendors. Discounts include product design, design reviews, PCB boards, 3D printed prototypes, injection molds, and PCB design software. These discounts alone can be more than the cost of the Academy.
How is the Academy different than other companies offering to help you?
To bring a new electronic product to market you will need to work with engineers, programmers, consultants, freelancers, attorneys, marketers, and many others. The more money you spend, the more these people or businesses benefit financially.
For instance, if you hire an engineer at an hourly rate, they will make more money if they design a more complicated product rather than a simplified version.
Or, for example, when you hire a patent attorney they get paid whether your product succeeds or fails. They basically have one shot to get as much from you as possible.
Their financial interests don't align with yours, and aren’t tied to your product’s ultimate success.
Or, worse yet, an invention promotion firm that tells you that your product is sure to be a homerun, because they want to just get as much money as possible from you, so they tell you exactly what you want to hear.
The problem is most of these arrangements are expensive and short-term. Their business models are to get as much money from you in the shortest time as possible.
On the other hand, the Hardware Academy is about providing you independent, unbiased, low-cost guidance over the long-term.
We have no financial interest outside of the small monthly membership fee, so our advice is unbiased and honest. For example, we don't make more money by convincing you to develop an unnecessarily complex product.
We also don't make commissions on any products or services we recommend to members. In fact, we instead pass all of those commissions down to you as a discount!
Also, with a starting price of only $69 per month, our business model depends on honesty and ongoing quality, otherwise you will just leave (which we make super easy to do).
We'll be right there by your side throughout the entire journey, helping you avoid many of the pitfalls and obstacles in your path to market.
Featured In
Hey there, I’m John Teel, a product design engineer, serial entrepreneur, and the founder of Predictable Designs.
As a senior design engineer at Texas Instruments I designed dozens of successful electronic microchips. My designs can be found in all kinds of popular electronic devices including some from Apple and Intel. You likely own a product or two with one of my chip designs inside.
Before starting Predictable Designs, I founded a hardware startup named MicroLite Tech that developed and manufactured consumer lighting devices. My product was sold in hundreds of retail locations across multiple countries.
In addition to developing the product I also oversaw manufacturing in China, marketing, trade shows, logistics, financing, and sales. I had a team of over 20 sales representatives across the U.S. selling my product at one point.
For the past 7 years my full time passion has been helping entrepreneurs, startups, makers, inventors, and small companies just like you to develop and bring new electronic products to market. Over 60,000 people have subscribed to my Predictable Designs blog.
I received my Master’s in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) degree from the University of Texas with a focus in Microelectronics.
As a member of the Hardware Academy you will always have priority access to me for help and advice.
NOT SURE IF THE Hardware Academy IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
The Hardware Academy is NOT for everyone, and truth be told I'd prefer to help you figure out if it’s not right for you BEFORE you join rather than waste your time. So, let’s cut to the chase...
WHO IT IS FOR:
WHO IT IS NOT FOR:
Some of the ways the Hardware Academy can save you money and time:
Frequently Asked Questions
So, you have some questions? Let me now answer those for you...
Does it matter where I'm located? I'm not in the U.S. so will I still benefit from the Hardware Academy?
Can I get private one-on-one help with my project?
How far along do I need to be with my product? If I only have an idea will I benefit from the Hardware Academy? What if I'm much farther along, will I still benefit?
What type of products are right for the Hardware Academy? Is it only for electronic products or any physical product?
How do you handle confidential information when questions are asked? Can other members view my questions?
How is the Academy community area different than any of the many available free forums on design and entrepreneurship?
How are courses structured? Are courses live or recorded, text or video format? What topics are covered?
Can I get a design review of my product in the Hardware Academy?
I'm an engineer that wants to learn more about product development, but I don't have my own product. Is the Hardware Academy right for me?
I have no technical background or experience with anything related to product development. Is the Hardware Academy right for me?
I don't yet have a product idea, or I have multiple product ideas. Should I join now or wait until I have selected the product idea I wish to pursue?
How do I cancel my subscription if I no longer wish to remain a member? Can I rejoin later?
I'm in secretive stealth mode, can I be anonymous and still gain benefit from the Hardware Academy?
Is all of the content available straight away or is it time-released (drip fed)?
Can I upgrade and downgrade between plans (Starter, Pro, Premium)?
My startup consists of several people, do we each need to have a separate membership, or can we all share the same account?
Does the Hardware Academy make any claims to my intellectual property?
Once I join will the price ever increase?
Get help now in the
Hardware Academy
Cancellation Policy: We make it super easy for you to cancel at any time. In fact, here's a video showing you how to cancel. You will also get a receipt every month so you won't ever just forget you are subscribed. We're not happy if you are not making progress!
All prices in US Dollars
Copyright 2022 by Predictable Designs LLC. Predictable Designs is a trademark of Predictable Designs LLC. CONTACT US | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS