Hardware founder · Technical sales · Global sourcing

I designed, tooled and shipped a 1:64 RC excavator with 17 factories.

Now I want to help hardware teams get parts made. I can talk DFM and tolerances with your engineers and unit cost, lead time and margin with your buyers.

Resume (PDF) LinkedIn Contact
The NANO X100, a yellow 1:64-scale RC excavator, on a display turntable
3,000+units delivered worldwide
$446Krevenue at 63% gross margin
17 + 1factories + global assembly partner
7.4xROAS on $60K of Meta ads
The build · Feb 2024 to today

From first CAD model to 3,000 units

I had no prior hardware experience. Every step below I learned and ran myself.

  1. Step 1Feb 2024
    Fusion 360 render of the X100 excavator and its transmitter

    Idea & CAD

    A fully proportional excavator and transmitter, designed from scratch in Fusion 360.

  2. Step 2
    3D-printed prototype arm and track parts spread across a workbench

    Prototypes

    Iterated with 3D printing and an in-house Tormach CNC mill.

  3. Step 3
    Machined aluminum injection mold inserts laid out on a table

    Tooling

    $96K
    Initial tool-up in 5 months, with ongoing refinement.

  4. Step 4
    Kickstarter campaign showing $300,000 pledged of a $20,000 goal with 14 days to go

    Kickstarter

    ~$350K
    2,400+ backers. Picked as a Kickstarter "Project We Love."

  5. Step 5
    Hundreds of yellow X100 excavators lined up mid-assembly on the production floor

    Production

    17 factories feeding one global assembly partner.

  6. Step 6
    A room stacked with shipping cartons ready for fulfillment

    Delivered

    3,000+
    units shipped to backers and customers.

  7. Step 7
    The NANO X100 product page on nanorc.com

    Direct to consumer

    Own store, paid social and a curated catalog of partner products.

Engineering & DFM

Built for the mold, not just the render

Exploded assembly drawing of the X100 arm, drivetrain and tracks with numbered parts

Exploded assembly of the arm and undercarriage.

  • Designed every part in Fusion 360 and reviewed it with the molders for draft, wall thickness and fit before cutting steel.
  • Prototyped in-house with 3D printing and a Tormach CNC mill to prove mechanisms before tooling.
  • Ran a $96K injection-mold program and kept iterating the tools to improve fit, yield and quality.
  • Sourced the electronics, including a custom control board with USB-C charging.
  • Certified to FCC Part 15 (FCC ID 2BQSB-NANOX100), test report issued July 2025.
Two miniature drive shafts with universal joints and gears
DrivetrainMiniature drive shafts with universal joints.
Close-up of the X100 arm linkage and cylinder
Arm linkageProportional boom and stick control at 1:64 scale.
The X100 control circuit board held in a hand
ElectronicsCustom control PCB with USB-C charging.
Cover of the FCC Part 15 Subpart C test report for the NANO X100
CertificationFCC Part 15 Subpart C test report.
Supply chain

17 factories, one product

I found, vetted and managed every supplier myself. Names and pricing stay private.

  • Sourcing. Found and qualified 17 parts and component factories and one global assembly partner.
  • Contracts. Negotiated pricing and terms and protected the design with NNN agreements.
  • Tooling. Managed a $96K mold program from first cut through ongoing improvements.
  • Landed cost. Handled tariff classification and shifting U.S. trade rules, including the end of de minimis.
Growth

I can sell what I build

$446K in revenue at a 63% gross margin, from crowdfunding through direct-to-consumer sales.

Kickstarter campaign stats mid-campaign

Mid-campaign: $300K pledged against a $20K goal, with 14 days still to go.

nanorc.com product page for the X100

nanorc.com, the direct-to-consumer store I built after the campaign.

~$350Kraised on Kickstarter
2,400+backers
7.4xROAS on $60K Meta spend
63%gross margin
Before hardware

Sales and analysis

New Western · Acquisitions · 2022–2023 $125K first month

Company-wide top producer among first-year hires. Underwrote hundreds of properties and built a Salesforce-integrated CRM tool.

Duke Home Infusion · Business Analyst · 2020–2022 Automated reporting

Forecasted key metrics for pharmacy operations and built the dashboards and recurring reports the team relied on.

For your team

What I'd bring to your customers

I've been your customer

I know what a hardware founder worries about at quote, DFM review and first article, because I've been through it.

Two languages

Tolerances and draft angles with engineers. Unit cost, MOQ and lead time with buyers.

A sales record

Top producer in real estate acquisitions, plus a 7.4x ROAS paid funnel I built and ran myself.

Contact · Raleigh, NC · Open to remote roles

Let's talk

Resume (PDF) LinkedIn nanorc.com