Consumer hardware is shaped by reduction, timing and restraint. In this week’s podcast, Atonemo founder Leo Ballesteros shares how learning, cutting and waiting have defined the company’s journey so far.
For Leo Ballesteros, building Atonemo has been a continuous learning process. Not in theory, but in practice. Consumer hardware leaves little room for routines, because each phase introduces new constraints, dependencies and trade-offs that cannot be learned in advance.
– There hasn’t been a day these past three years where I don’t learn something new. It’s constant, and it doesn’t really slow down, he says.
That pace is part of the medium. Hardware forces founders to operate across disciplines from the very beginning. Software, electronics, manufacturing and industrial design all converge early, often before the founder feels ready. The result is less control, but faster exposure to reality.
If Leo were to start again today with a new consumer electronics idea, he would still begin broadly rather than cautiously. Exploration comes before discipline.
– I start by throwing in everything. All the features, all the ideas. Then the work becomes about taking things out, he says.
This reduction is not about minimalism for its own sake. It is about discovering what actually matters. According to Leo, essence is not something you define upfront. It is something you arrive at by cutting away what does not belong.
Progress begins once something physical exists
Early on, many first-time hardware founders assume they need a large team immediately. Leo’s experience suggests otherwise. The first versions are often buildable without much external help, even if the workload is intense.
– Most probably you can build it yourself in the beginning. You’re doing software, hardware, manufacturing and design. It’s a lot, but it’s possible, he says.
That phase does not last long. As complexity grows, alignment becomes more important than speed. Team members shift from task execution to ownership of areas beyond the founder’s reach.
Speed still matters, but not in the form many expect. For Leo, progress begins once something physical exists. A prototype changes conversations and priorities in ways slides never will.
– You want to build something you can actually hold in your hands. That’s when things become real and you can start iterating properly, he says.
Iteration, however, does not mean opening the door to all feedback. Leo is careful about when outside opinions enter the process. Especially early on, feedback can distort rather than improve the product.
– If you know it’s not good enough yet, but you have a clear vision for where it’s going, other people will kill that vision with their input, he says.
\"Always double the money you think you need\"
That need for restraint doesn’t stop with external feedback. Ideas require time before critique becomes useful. Founders must be able to sit with uncertainty long enough for something stronger to emerge.
Eventually, every hardware company runs into the same reality: underestimated timelines and budgets. According to Leo, this is not poor planning, but a structural feature of building physical products.
– Always double the money you think you need, and always double the time. Especially the first time, because so many things will come up that you just don’t see in advance, he says.
For Leo Ballesteros, building consumer hardware is ultimately about judgment. Knowing when to listen, when to wait, and when to protect an idea long enough for it to stand on its own is often what determines whether it survives contact with the market.