The factory floor is real
Not stock photos. This is where your parts would be made — SunOn Manufacturer Group, Pearl River Delta.
From 3D prototype to 10,000 units — past the mold-quote traps, the wrong factory, and the mistakes that quietly kill hardware startups. I've made them all, so you don't have to.
In 15 minutes, I'll identify the single biggest manufacturing cost you're probably overpaying for. No pitch. Just value.
Trusted by hardware founders from the US, UK, Germany & Australia
One conversation to explore all of them.
Investment, manufacturing and mentorship in one relationship. Capital plus factory access from day one — for the founders I believe in most.
I own the factories. Injection molding, die casting, mold making. Startup-friendly MOQs. No middleman — one phone call gets you a real quote.
Product roadmap, DFM, supply chain and fundraising prep. I've made every hardware mistake in the book — you don't have to.
Most advisors give you advice. Most investors give you money. Most factories give you a quote. I give you all three — and after 30 years and 366 hardware projects, I've seen every way a hardware startup can fail at manufacturing. Most of it was preventable.
| Accelerator | Solo Advisor | Mountain Xie | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic advice | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Investment capital | Sometimes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Factory access | Referral only | ✗ | Direct — I own it |
| Any stage | Pre-seed cohorts | Varies | ✓ |
| Equity required | 5–10% | ✗ | Case by case |
| Relocation required | Often | ✗ | ✗ |
Who this isn't for: pure-software teams, pre-prototype ideas, or founders shopping only for the single cheapest quote. If that's you today, the blog and FAQ are free — come back when you have a design worth tooling.
From the factory floor, not a slide deck.
A founder's mold quote, re-specified for the tolerances his product actually needed. $86,000 saved before production started.
One thermal cycling test caught 6,000 defective snap-fit parts before they shipped. The test cost less than 3% of the rework it prevented.
Real mold steel, injection and die casting prices from my own procurement — published every quarter so founders can check their quotes.
Not stock photos. This is where your parts would be made — SunOn Manufacturer Group, Pearl River Delta.