Hardware Operations Consultant

From prototype
to profitable
production.

I help hardware founders navigate the operational gap between a working prototype and scalable, profitable production — managing supply chain, manufacturing ops, and fractional leadership, globally.

Atul Nandan — Hardware Operations Consultant
9+
Years in hardware
startup operations
20–30%
Cost reduction
delivered
3
Hardware products
taken to market
4+
Countries across
global supply chains
The Operational Gap

Most hardware launches fail between prototype and production.

The Problem

Founders focus on product. Operations gets figured out later.

The decisions made at prototype stage — manufacturer selection, BOM structure, quality systems, certification paths — are nearly impossible to unwind after launch. Without someone who has done this before, you're learning on live products with real money at stake.

The Solution

Embed someone who has done it. Before it becomes a crisis.

I embed within your team to handle the operational decisions that matter before they become expensive mistakes. Vendor negotiations, DFM reviews, quality systems, certification management, logistics setup. Not slide decks — actual execution, inside your operation, with measurable outcomes.

Core Focus Areas

Three things founders get wrong. Fixed systematically.

01

Manufacturing Ops

Manufacturer selection and vetting, DFM reviews, quality systems — incoming, in-line, and final acceptance — production oversight, and certification management from first sample to goods received.

02

Supply Chain

Global vendor networks across India and Asia, cost optimisation through structured negotiation, multi-source risk planning, and logistics setup for domestic and international fulfilment.

03

Fractional Leadership

Operational process building, team hiring frameworks, KPI dashboards, and ongoing founder advisory — the function of a COO without the full-time cost, embedded in your team weekly.

How I Work

From first call to measurable outcome.

Every engagement is scoped clearly, executed with full accountability, and delivered with specific outputs — not vague reports.

01

Discovery Call

Understand your product stage, operational challenges, and what success looks like in 90 days. No pitch — honest assessment of where you are.

02

Scoping

Define the engagement, deliverables, and timeline. Fixed scope, clear outputs — no ambiguity on what you're getting or when.

03

Engagement

I embed in your operations and do the work — vendor calls, factory oversight, system builds, founder syncs. Outcomes, not hours billed.

04

Delivery

Concrete outputs: audit reports, 90-day action roadmaps, production oversight through to completion, and documented processes for your team.

Operational Track Record

Built inside hardware startups. Proved under pressure.

Nine years of hands-on work inside real companies with real accountability — not advisory roles, but embedded operational leadership with measurable outcomes.

Blockchain Hardware · 3 Years

Cypherock

Founder's Office — Operations, Supply Chain & People

20% Manufacturing cost reduction through vendor restructuring and negotiation
67% Team growth with 30% reduction in hiring cycle time
4 Countries coordinated: India, China, Singapore, and the US
2 Legal entities managed: India and Singapore financial and compliance operations
Smart Helmets · 2.5 Years

QUIN

Lead Engineer — Prototype to Production

18mo Full prototype-to-production lifecycle, from sketch to international distribution
US+EU Safety certifications managed end-to-end: CPSC (US) and CE (EU)
3 Continents reached through logistics and fulfilment systems built from scratch
2nd Product launched within 6 months of first — team of 6 engineers built and led
Engagement Options

Structured support at every stage.

Three clearly scoped engagements, each designed for a specific stage of your hardware journey. Priced in INR and USD.

Quick Audit

₹75K – 1.2L
$1,500 – 2,500 USD
2–3 days · Remote

A focused diagnostic on one specific problem — a vendor decision, a manufacturer quote, or a logistics setup.

  • Deep-dive on one defined operational problem
  • Benchmark research on that specific area
  • Written brief: findings, risks, recommended actions
  • 30-minute debrief call included
Get Started →
Most Popular

Full Ops Audit

₹1.5L – 2.5L
$2,500 – 4,000 USD
5–7 days · Remote

Complete operational health-check for founders pre-launch or at a scaling inflection point.

  • Full review: supply chain, manufacturing, logistics
  • Risk register with priority ranking
  • 90-day action roadmap — specific and sequenced
  • Kickoff call + delivery presentation
  • 2-week async follow-up support
Get Started →

Fractional COO

₹2L – 3.5L/mo
$3,500 – 6,000/mo USD
3-month minimum · Remote

Ongoing operational leadership for post-launch founders — without the full-time cost.

  • 10–12 hrs/week embedded in your team
  • Ongoing supply chain and cost optimisation
  • Team hiring and process building
  • Weekly founder syncs + monthly ops report
  • Priority response to operational emergencies
Get Started →
Common Questions

Everything you need to know before we talk.

Hardware and deep-tech founders who have a validated prototype and are navigating the path to commercial production. If you're dealing with manufacturer decisions, supply chain setup, certification requirements, or operational scaling challenges — this is the work I do.

Yes. I work remotely with founders in the US, UK, EU, Singapore, and beyond. My work at Cypherock involved managing operations simultaneously across Singapore and India, and the QUIN supply chain spanned China, Germany, and three continents. Geography is not a constraint.

A full-time ops hire makes sense once operations is genuinely a bottleneck to growth — not before. Before that point, you need specific expertise for specific problems. The fractional model gives you senior-level operational experience at the exact moment you need it, without a ₹12–20L/year commitment before you've validated the need.

Most first engagements start with a free 30-minute discovery call, followed by a Quick Audit or Full Ops Audit. This gives us both a low-commitment way to work together, produces a concrete deliverable — a written audit report and 90-day roadmap — and clarifies whether a longer engagement makes sense.

Book a free call via Topmate and we can typically scope and start an Audit engagement within 5–7 days. Availability is limited — I work with a small number of founders at any one time to ensure the depth of engagement each project requires.

Ready to move forward?

If your prototype is ready and your production plan isn't — let's talk.

The free discovery call is 30 minutes. No pitch. Just an honest look at where you are and what you need.

Book a Free Discovery Call