r/hwstartups

Community Overview
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About r/hwstartups

Welcome to the Hardware Startups sub-Reddit - feel free to post on anything that you think will interest anyone in the community. The idea is that we're a blend of r/DIY and r/startups content - like a Hacker News for hardware. Good ideas: hardware news, prototyping/manufacturing how-to, success stories, physical Kickstarter pages, etc. Bad ideas: General startup stuff, DIY articles without a startup angle, TC/VB/etc. link-bait, etc.

The community at a glance

r/hwstartups is a Subreddit for Founders and startup builders and Micro Startups with roughly 34K members. It uses a forum format for communication. On the Hive Index it ranks #10 in the Micro Startups communities list.

Roughly 9K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Hardware, Startup, and Design. Common discussion themes are Self-Promotion and Pain & Anger. Product recommendations often mention hardware startup.

On Reddit
34K Members

Community Topics

Community Features

Forum

This community has a forum

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +9K members
Growth: +37.3% / year

Member growth over time

All time (yearly)

  • 2024: 2K members
  • 2025: 4K members
  • 2026: 6K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Jul: 413 members
  • Aug: 671 members
  • Sep: 536 members
  • Oct: 621 members
  • Nov: 443 members
  • Dec: 608 members
  • Jan: 461 members
  • Feb: 707 members
  • Mar: 1K members
  • Apr: 2K members
  • May: 835 members
  • Jun: 471 members

Themes

  • Self-Promotion
    4 posts in the past month
    1. I invented a timelapse camera for houseplants and brought it to market
    2. I developed a dual-screen, ESP32-powered ereader
    3. After taking a consumer hardware product from conception to delivery, I'm happy to answer your questions or offer advice.
    #1
    Self-Promotion
    I invented a timelapse camera for houseplants and brought it to market · I developed a dual-screen, ESP32-powered ereader · After taking a consumer hardware product from conception to delivery, I'm happy to answer your questions or offer advice.
    4
  • Pain & Anger
    2 posts in the past month
    1. AdsPower stability concerns, bugs and crashes in daily use
    2. BOM tail-spend markups are killing us, how do you deal with it?
    #2
    Pain & Anger
    AdsPower stability concerns, bugs and crashes in daily use · BOM tail-spend markups are killing us, how do you deal with it?
    2
  • Opportunities
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Looking to Join or Co-Found an Engineering Project/Startup 🚀
    2. Looking for equity partners
    #3
    Opportunities
    Looking to Join or Co-Found an Engineering Project/Startup 🚀 · Looking for equity partners
    2
  • Solution Requests
    1 post in the past month
    1. Looking for hardware/fullstack person to help me realize this vision. Interest in ed-tech is a big plus!
    #4
    Solution Requests
    Looking for hardware/fullstack person to help me realize this vision. Interest in ed-tech is a big plus!
    1
  • Ideas
    1 post in the past month
    1. This startup built a laser-based power beaming system for drones
    #5
    Ideas
    This startup built a laser-based power beaming system for drones
    1

Topics

  • Hardware
    143 posts in the past month
    1. After taking a consumer hardware product from conception to delivery, I'm happy to answer your questions or offer advice.
    2. If you are building a hardware product, these lessons might save you a lot of money and pain:
    3. Looking for hardware/fullstack person to help me realize this vision. Interest in ed-tech is a big plus!
    #1
    Hardware
    After taking a consumer hardware product from conception to delivery, I'm happy to answer your questions or offer advice. · If you are building a hardware product, these lessons might save you a lot of money and pain: · Looking for hardware/fullstack person to help me realize this vision. Interest in ed-tech is a big plus!
    143
  • Startup
    136 posts in the past month
    1. Startup Recruitment,  how do  companies really handle it?
    2. Passion Project: Looking for Hardtech Startup Founders to Feature in a New Short-Form Video Series
    3. Looking to Join or Co-Found an Engineering Project/Startup 🚀
    #2
    Startup
    Startup Recruitment,  how do  companies really handle it? · Passion Project: Looking for Hardtech Startup Founders to Feature in a New Short-Form Video Series · Looking to Join or Co-Found an Engineering Project/Startup 🚀
    136
  • Design
    28 posts in the past month
    #3
    Design
    28
  • Product
    26 posts in the past month
    1. $120M Down the Drain Because Nobody Checked if People Actually Wanted the Product
    2. Product enclosure and injection moulding
    #4
    Product
    $120M Down the Drain Because Nobody Checked if People Actually Wanted the Product · Product enclosure and injection moulding
    26
  • Manufacturing
    23 posts in the past month
    1. $120M Down the Drain Because Nobody Checked if People Actually Wanted the Product
    #5
    Manufacturing
    $120M Down the Drain Because Nobody Checked if People Actually Wanted the Product
    23

Product recommendations

  • hardware startup
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Oculus Rift Takes Home The Crunchie For Best Hardware Startup
    2. Estimote Wins Best Hardware Startup At TechCrunch Disrupt SF
    #1
    hardware startup
    Oculus Rift Takes Home The Crunchie For Best Hardware Startup · Estimote Wins Best Hardware Startup At TechCrunch Disrupt SF
    2
View full analysis on GummySearchSynced 6/22/2026

Frequently asked questions

Who is r/hwstartups for?
Best for Founders and startup builders and Micro Startups enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion.
Is r/hwstartups free to join?
This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
How many members does r/hwstartups have?
Roughly 34K members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
What platform is r/hwstartups on?
r/hwstartups runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
What topics does r/hwstartups cover?
On the Hive Index, r/hwstartups is organized under Founders and startup builders, Micro Startups.
How do I join r/hwstartups?
You can join r/hwstartups by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
What are the Entrepreneurship communities like?
One of the biggest categories on the site, covering everything from first-time startup founders to serial entrepreneurs scaling multiple businesses. You will find communities on Reddit, Discord, and Slack for idea validation, fundraising advice, hiring strategy, and the daily grind of building a startup or company. Good for finding peers at similar stages and getting honest feedback from people who have been through it.
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Added 4/4/2024

Monthly Stats

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