China sourcing for startups: your product deserves a supply chain that scales with it
From working prototype to sellable series is where most hardware projects fail: DFM, tooling costs, MOQs, certification, first-batch quality. We have walked this path many times — and know the shortcuts and the dead ends.
Where hardware startups fail
Not at the idea — at the three transitions nobody plans in the pitch deck.
Prototype ≠ manufacturable
The 3D print works, the injection-moulded part does not: wall thicknesses, demoulding, tolerance chains. Our DFM analysis translates the prototype into a manufacturable design — before tool steel is cut.
MOQs eat the runway
A 5,000-unit minimum with unproven demand is poison. We negotiate pilot runs from 100–500 units with a defined scaling path — you validate the market before tying up capital.
CE as an afterthought
Certification after design freeze means redesigning. We pull the CE requirements (LVD, EMC, RED, toys …) forward into the design phase — saving the most expensive loop of all.
What we handle for founders
Prototyping & DFM
From STEP file to functional samples in weeks; DFM feedback from real manufacturers, not textbooks — iterated until the design is production-ready.
Tooling that belongs to you
Mould making with contractually secured ownership and release rights — your most important asset stays under your control, even when changing suppliers.
Electronics & firmware production
PCBA in NPI small series, component sourcing without counterfeit risk, test jigs for series testing — the electronics pipeline for your product.
Launch logistics
Crowdfunding fulfilment, FBA delivery or D2C warehouse: we deliver the first series to where your customers are — DDP, with an EU-compliant invoice.
How you get to production
NDA, then design review: feasibility, target costs, certification needs — honestly, before you spend money.
Prototype iterations with DFM feedback until production-ready.
Tooling with ownership protection; pilot series with full testing and CE documentation.
Scaling after market validation — with second sources before you need them.
Common questions from founders
How do you protect our product idea?
Three levels: an NDA with us before the first detail, NNN agreements under Chinese law with every approached factory (enforceable, unlike Western NDAs), and splitting critical components across different manufacturers so no factory knows the complete product. Nobody seriously promises 100 % protection — but this structure has proven itself.
From what budget is a hardware launch realistic?
Rough figures: simple products without electronics (injection moulding + packaging) from €15,000–30,000 including tooling and pilot series; products with electronics and radio rather €40,000–80,000 including certification. The exact number comes from the design review — free and before any commitment. More important than the sum: the order in which it is spent.
Do you also support crowdfunding campaigns?
Yes — and preferably before the launch: we validate target costs and lead times before you promise them publicly. The most common crowdfunding disaster is not fraud but an honestly calculated price that did not know production reality. After the campaign we schedule production and worldwide fulfilment to your backer commitments.
Related topics
Request a design review
NDA first, then your concept — we get back within 24 hours with an honest assessment of feasibility, costs and the path to production.