Synopsis: It’s exciting that so many people are founding hardware startups, especially in the UK where software and services dominate. The internet makes the required knowledge, finance and early customers more accessible than ever before, but most hardware startup veterans will admit that the failure rate is extremely high and most founders are naïve about the challenges they will face and ignorant of the best strategies. In this talk, Mat will share insights about how the Central Research Laboratory, London’s first purpose-built hardware accelerator, improves the success rate of resident ventures.
Biography: Mat Hunter is the Managing Director of the Central Research Laboratory, a Hardware Accelerator and Creative Community for startups and growth businesses, based at the Old Vinyl Factory, Hayes, West London.
Previous to joining the CRL, Mat’s career focused on design innovation across a number of fields; working for IDEO in both San Francisco and London for 15 years, where he was made a Partner and head of the Consumer Experience Design practice. This was followed by 5 years as Chief Design Officer at the Design Council where he led the pioneering Design Challenges programme and the establishment of the Design Council Spark product investment fund.