Former SpaceX Engineer's Advice: If You Want to Start a Hardware Business, Fly to Shenzhen Immediately

According to Insight Beating monitoring, former Tesla Autopilot and SpaceX Raptor team engineer Zac Valles flew directly to Shenzhen 72 hours after the YC Demo Day. After an 8-week on-site stay and bringing back new hardware to San Francisco, he strongly advised all hardware entrepreneurs to go to Shenzhen immediately, even if they have not raised funding, built a team, or even have an idea, as long as they want to work on hardware.

He summarized the key experiences of connecting with the supply chain in Shenzhen. In terms of the approach, he suggested using large-scale trade shows as a springboard, which is the most effective way to enter any factory. When communicating with contract manufacturers, he emphasized that in the early stage, the focus should be on lead time rather than cost. He pointed out that the hardware iteration speed is constrained by the part with the longest lead time, and locking in these parts early is key to setting an accurate schedule.

In supplier screening and design, Valles reminded entrepreneurs to properly assess the contract manufacturer's execution capabilities. He particularly advised against designing parts with overly complex processes, such as components requiring 12 subsequent machining steps that are extremely difficult to find factories willing to take on. Furthermore, he recommended reserving 4 to 6 hours for an on-site visit to Huaqiangbei, this "micro-city," and noted that respecting the local business culture (such as "full cup of alcohol, half cup of tea") is an important lubricant for advancing cooperation.