On this episode of the Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman are joined by Katie Ittenbach and Mike York from SMARI, a premier market research firm. Together, they explore how the landscape of market research has shifted from traditional methods to modern, data-driven strategies that prevent companies from building products nobody wants.

The conversation centers on the danger of relying on assumptions rather than data. Katie and Mike break down the critical balance between qualitative and quantitative research, explaining how to properly time your studies and identify a true Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). To bring these concepts to life, the group dives into a collaborative case study with HOOPTEQ, analyzing how research shaped the strategy for their portable basketball shooting machine.

Takeaways:

Market research has evolved significantly since 1983; modern tools offer deeper insights than ever before.

Assumptions are dangerous: Guessing what customers want often leads to misaligned business strategies.

Qualitative research provides the necessary depth and context to truly understand consumer behavior.

Pain points drive development: Understanding consumer struggles is crucial for successful product engineering.

Timing is everything: Knowing when to engage in market research is just as important as how you do it.

Defining the ICP: Identifying an ideal customer profile is often more about personality and behavior than just company size or demographics.

Uncovering gaps: Proper research reveals hidden market opportunities that competitors might miss.

Data over gut feeling: Data-driven decisions are essential for staying competitive in the hardware space.

The value of collaboration: Partnerships between firms can significantly enhance research outcomes.

Start somewhere: Some research is always better than no research, regardless of your budget.

Special Guests: Katie Ittenbach and Mike York.

In this episode of the Hardtech Podcast, host DeAndre Harakas and co-host Grant Chapman sit down with Sharlene Jerome from Sensoria Health Inc. to explore the cutting edge of wearable medical technology.

What began as a company focused on high-performance smart socks has evolved into a global leader in Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and AI-driven healthcare solutions. Sharlene shares the journey of pivoting toward clinical impact and how Sensoria is bridging the gap between wearable data and actionable medical insights.

Key Highlights:

The Evolution of Sensoria: Moving from fitness wearables to sophisticated clinical monitoring.

Clinical Validation: Why rigorous testing and partnerships with healthcare institutions are non-negotiable for medtech success.

AI Integration: How Sensoria uses artificial intelligence to enhance remote monitoring and patient outcomes.

Business Strategy: A deep dive into Sensoria’s market approach and business model.

Founder Advice: Invaluable lessons for startups navigating the complex landscape of medtech and hardware.

Whether you are an entrepreneur, a healthcare professional, or a tech enthusiast, this conversation offers a masterclass in scaling a hardtech company in the medical space.

Special Guest: Sharlene Jerome.

In one of the most actionable medtech episodes we’ve ever recorded, The Hardtech Podcast welcomes Geoff Hutchins, VP of Operations at IntuiTap Medical. IntuiTap has created a first-of-its-kind device that uses a force-sensing array to image spinal anatomy and guide lumbar punctures a breakthrough for epidurals, diagnostic LPs, and emergency medicine.

Geoff walks through:

How IntuiTap navigated the De Novo FDA pathway for a completely novel device

Why lumbar punctures have such high failure rates and how their technology solves it

The engineering behind building a force-based imaging system (not ultrasound!)

How startups should approach concept development vs. formal design

Why risk, requirements, and clinical understanding must start early

The pitfalls he sees most often among early-stage medtech founders

The realities of value-based care, reimbursement, and hospital adoption

How to raise capital and structure milestones without over-promising

Geoff blends deep technical knowledge with decades of operational experience, giving founders and engineers a rare inside look at what it really takes to build, fund, validate, and commercialize regulated medical hardware.

Special Guest: Geoff Hutchins.

Oculogica is reshaping concussion assessment with EyeBOX, the first and only FDA-cleared, baseline-free eye-tracking device for detecting concussion. In this conversation, CTO Joel Sanderson joins DeAndre and Grant to unpack the full journey from the neurosurgical insight that sparked the technology to the engineering breakthroughs required to commercialize it.

Joel shares how EyeBOX uses 500-fps infrared eye tracking, specialized optics, and advanced algorithms to detect subtle neurological deficits that clinicians can’t see with the naked eye. He explains the complexities of obtaining a De Novo FDA clearance, the iterative hardware process (from early tinker-toy rigs to a 12-pound clinical unit), and the company’s push toward even smaller, field-ready devices.

If you're interested in hard tech, medical devices, optical systems, machine-learning-driven diagnostics, or startup execution within regulated markets, this episode is packed with insights.

Special Guest: Joel Sanderson.

When paramedics guess patient weight in the field, lives are at risk. What began as a college project for Tristan Hazlett turned into Hinckley Medical a hard-tech, FDA-regulated medical device company bringing real-time patient-weight measurement to ambulances across the U.S.

In this episode, DeAndre and Grant sit down with Tristan to unpack one of the most fascinating hard-tech origin stories we’ve ever featured. From early prototypes that smoked on power-up to solving complex statics equations, waterproofing nightmares, FDA requirements, and real-world field testing, Tristan shares the full journey of building hardware for one of the harshest environments on earth: the back of an ambulance.

We dive into:

Why weight estimation errors can mean life or death in EMS

How Hinckley built an 18-sensor load-cell platform that works at any gurney angle

The engineering breakthroughs (and failures) that shaped the product

What it takes to build FDA-compliant hardware as a first-time founder

Lessons from scaling manufacturing, fundraising, and growing a 10-person hard-tech team

The emotional rollercoaster of building regulated medical hardware from scratch

Why embracing the suck is the only path in real hard tech

If you love stories about real engineering, high-stakes environments, founder grit, and hardware that actually saves lives this is one you won’t forget.

Special Guest: Tristen Hazlett.

In this episode of The Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman are joined by Ashley Phillips, Head of Product at Aura Frames, to discuss how technology and design can foster genuine human connection.

Ashley shares her journey from the world of software to leading product at a company that blends elegant hardware and powerful software to help families stay close without turning users into products. She reveals how Aura’s in-house hardware, firmware, and design teams enable rapid development, agility, and unmatched quality in consumer electronics.

The discussion explores:

How Aura’s product philosophy centers on joy and connection rather than data monetization.

Why Aura rejected subscription models in favor of delivering long-term product value.

The power of vertically integrated design for speed, quality, and resilience.

Lessons from navigating OTA firmware updates and maintaining millions of devices in the field.

How small UX improvements like captions and touch interactions create massive engagement.

The importance of customer feedback loops and product-market fit in hardtech.

This episode offers an inside look at how Aura Frames became the category leader by building hardware that doesn’t just display memories it strengthens relationships.

Special Guest: Ashley Phillips.

How do you take an idea built for elite athletes and turn it into a scalable sports tech platform?

In this episode, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman talk with Alex Krause, Director of Hardware at Trace, about the art and complexity of building hardware that learns, adapts, and performs in real-world conditions.

Alex walks through his transition from Apple and The Boring Company to leading a small, scrappy team at Trace where he’s helping reinvent how soccer is filmed and analyzed using AI and computer vision. Together, they unpack the company’s hardware-as-a-service model, the choice between edge and cloud computing, and how user experience guides every design decision.

They also discuss the ripple effect of sports technology, from AI-powered analytics to applications in retail and beyond and the very real operational hurdles hardware founders face, from tariffs to supply chain chaos.

Whether you’re an engineer, a founder, or just someone fascinated by how technology meets sport, this episode offers an inside look at what it takes to build hardware that scales.

Special Guest: Alex Krause.

Jeff Bennett joins hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman on The Hardtech Podcast to talk about the creation and mission of Morari Medical a startup changing the conversation around sexual health through innovation and openness.

In this candid conversation, Jeff shares lessons learned from decades in the medical device industry and how they shaped the development of Morari’s first product, designed to help men overcome premature ejaculation using targeted electrical stimulation. The team explores the technical, regulatory, and emotional challenges behind building in a taboo market and the opportunities that come with tackling real human problems head-on.

From FDA navigation and engineering constraints to brand voice and media exposure, Jeff offers a rare inside look at the business of sexual wellness hardware and what it takes to pioneer in a space where few dare to innovate.

Special Guest: Jeff Bennett.

In this episode of The Hardtech Podcast, hosts DeAndre Harakas and Grant Chapman welcome David Gil, Managing Partner at VERT Performance, a company pioneering jump and load measurement technology for volleyball athletes.

David shares how VERT’s sports tech platform has become an essential tool for coaches and trainers tracking jump counts, monitoring fatigue, and analyzing landing techniques to reduce injuries. The discussion highlights how data visualization and usability play a critical role in ensuring coaches can make informed decisions that enhance athlete performance while minimizing risk.

Looking ahead, David talks about AI-driven insights, consumer product expansion, and how multi-sport training can reduce injury risk compared to early specialization. He also reflects on VERT’s journey from innovation to adoption, underscoring the company’s deep commitment to athlete health and human performance.

Special Guest: David Gil.

CBQ shares his journey from exited founder to building a new venture through the venture studio model, highlighting the importance of customer discovery, hyper-specialization, and building in public. The conversation dives into how software updates transform hardware performance, why listening to customers is the ultimate competitive edge, and how to find product-market fit in crowded industries.

Whether you’re a founder, engineer, or investor, this episode offers a masterclass in staying close to customers, solving real pain points, and scaling hard tech companies the right way.

Key Takeaways

The venture studio model relies on a founder’s ability to attract great talent.

Customer discovery drives better product development — the right questions matter.

Early validation can come from offering services before the product exists.

Special Guest: Charles Quinn.