We love hardware. We are especially in love with complex electro-mechanical consumer hardware. We work with what we love. If you have a solid team with an innovative, complex hardware project and are looking to build and scale your company, you will probably love us back.
We can provide the most value to you when you are about 90 - 95% of the way to your final design. You should have a works-like/looks-like prototype, all your CAD files, and a pretty complete Bill of Materials (BOM).
The best way to get the attention of potential investors is to build a kickass product with a credible manufacturing plan. While we can't facilitate intros, we can help you make your product stronger.
We recommend that you reach out to Bolt. Bolt is a venture capital fund designed to address the unique needs of early-stage startups at the intersection of hardware and software.
For additional resources, check out Brad Feld’s blog, which gives hugely helpful insight into how to approach scaling hardware companies with investment.
No. Dragon Innovation and Bolt are two separate organizations, but with very close ties. We’re happy to make introductions to the Bolt team for our customers, but if you’re new to Dragon and looking to raise capital we’d recommend you contact Bolt directly via their website.
Dragon used to have a crowdfunding platform and we learned a ton about crowdfunding for hardware. We're not running projects on our own platform anymore, but we're still using everything we learned to help teams crowdfunding on platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Fundable by getting them Dragon Certified.
Yes, you can! Teams from anywhere in the world can get Dragon Certified or work with us for manufacturing solutions.
Dragon Certified is a product that gives you piece of mind before you head to crowdfunding, take pre-orders, or raise capital. It consists of a detailed design review for manufacturing, COGS analysis for manufacturing in both the US or far east, and manufacturing strategy creation. If you are crowdfunding, we can offer help in determining funding thresholds and volume calculations. Check out more info on the Dragon Certified page.
Being Dragon Certified instills confidence in both you, and your backers and investors. It sets you apart from the crowd and gives you peace of mind that an experienced team thinks you are on solid footing as you take your product into production.
Dragon does not offer PR services. We do have a lot of experience with crowdfuding and launching hardware products and love to share best practices with teams we're working with.
Dragon will perform a detailed mechanical and electrical design review consisting of:
Note that this is not a review of the fundamental design. Although we will of course inform the client of any issues found, we assume that if the prototype works then the design is functionally sound. If there is a subtle error in the schematic we will probably not spot it, and we do not review software or firmware.
As part of our service, we perform a design review of the mechanical engineering. We do not make changes in CAD as this work should be performed by the team. If you’re looking for hands on engineering assistance, check out Dragon’s Resources page.
If you have a solid team with an innovative complex hardware project, and additionally are anticipating an initial run of 5,000+ units, we should definitely talk today!
While the software/firmware is often very different across products, there is often quite a bit of similarity in hardware. Most products in the consumer electronic space include the following (of which we’re experts):
You can learn about how Dragon handles IP by reading our whitepaper: Methods to Protect IP
At this point in time, we do not have the bandwidth to be able to facilitate this vetting. However, we are in the actively growing our Contract Manufacturer portfolio. Stay tuned!
As part of our service, we perform a design review of the mechanical and electrical engineering. We do not make changes in CAD as this work should be performed by the team. If you’re looking for engineering assistance, check out Dragon’s Resources page.
While we are no longer running crowdfunding campaigns, we are happy to work with you to answer any questions you may have about projects that you backed on our crowdfunding platform.
You can ask them directly by selecting the “Ask the Entrepreneurs” link at the bottom of their campaign page, or by emailing us here at Dragon, at [email protected] and we can connect you.
That's the badge of a project that has done its due diligence! Dragon Certified means that project has gone through the wringer with our team of experts, and you can support it with confidence that there is a rational manufacturing plan if their funding threshold is met.