Most hardware development follows the same tired pattern: months of planning, requirements documents that nobody reads, and timelines that slip into oblivion. By the time you have something to show investors, you’ve burned half your runway.
We do things differently.
The 60-Day Sprint
Our sprint model is simple: define a clear deliverable, execute for 60 days, deliver something real. Not a PowerPoint. Not a requirements document. A working prototype, a validated subsystem, or a production-ready design.
This works for a few reasons:
1. Clarity Kills Scope Creep
When you have 60 days, you can’t boil the ocean. You have to ruthlessly prioritize what matters. That constraint is a feature, not a bug.
2. Real Feedback Beats Speculation
A working prototype tells you more than six months of analysis. Put something in people’s hands. Learn. Iterate.
3. Investors Like Milestones
“We’ll have a working prototype in 60 days” is a better story than “we’re in the design phase.” Tangible progress builds confidence.
When Sprints Make Sense
The 60-day model isn’t right for everything. It works best when:
- You have a clear problem to solve but need to validate the solution
- You’re hitting an investor milestone or clinical trial deadline
- You need to de-risk a specific technical challenge
- You want to test the market before committing to full development
What a Sprint Looks Like
A typical 60-day sprint might deliver:
- Functional prototype demonstrating core technology
- Validated mechanical design ready for tooling quotes
- Working firmware on production-intent hardware
- Test fixture for manufacturing validation
The key is defining “done” upfront and having senior engineers who’ve shipped before.
Expertise Engineering runs 60-day sprints for funded hardware startups. Let’s talk about what you’re building.