Reach Key Milestones Faster Through Smarter Product Decisions
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Your next funding deadline won't come down to how big you dream. It'll come down to how wisely you spend what you already have.
Early-stage hardware companies that hit their next milestone aren't always the ones with the deepest pockets. They're the ones testing assumptions, validating ideas and reducing uncertainty digitally, before pouring money into physical hardware. This habit lets them make smarter product decisions with real confidence, while preserving both capital and speed.
In this 30-minute executive briefing, we'll explore how founders and product leaders can reduce development risk, accelerate learning, and improve decision-making without adding unnecessary process or slowing innovation.
If you're building the next generation of drones, robotics, portable energy systems, industrial equipment, or other innovative hardware products, this session will challenge the traditional approach to product development and offer a practical framework for reaching market faster, while protecting your investment.
You’ll Learn:
- Why every prototype should be viewed as an investment decision
- Why leading startups are validating more, while building less
- How to identify product risks before they become expensive engineering problems
- Practical ways to reduce development cost without reducing innovation
- How better product decisions help companies preserve runway and achieve critical business milestones faster
Who Should Attend:
- Founders, CEOs, CTOs, Chief Product Officers, and engineering leaders at early-stage hardware startups (approximately 2–5 years old) preparing to scale product development.
Speakers:
Brandon Nelms
Industry Process Consultant Manager
Dassault Systèmes
Brandon Nelms is an Industry Process Consultant Manager at Dassault Systèmes, based in Indianapolis. He works closely with startups to accelerate innovation, guiding fast-moving teams as they turn bold ideas into market-ready products.
Before joining Dassault Systèmes, Brandon spent seven years as an Application Engineer at GoEngineer with a primary focus on solving customer problems. Prior to that, he spent six years in the bearing and power transmission industry—developing a sharp technical foundation and a deep understanding of what engineers actually need to succeed.
At Dassault Systèmes, Brandon connects people, tools and processes in ways that reduce friction and deliver measurable outcomes—bridging deep technical knowledge with real-world business needs.
Kip Speck
Senior Sales Leader
Dassault Systèmes
Kip Speck is a Senior Sales Leader with extensive experience helping manufacturers and technology companies accelerate product development through digital engineering and cloud-based innovation. With a strong background in the Dassault Systèmes ecosystem, he has worked with organizations ranging from emerging startups to global enterprises, helping them adopt modern engineering and product development solutions that improve collaboration, reduce risk, and bring products to market faster.
Kip is passionate about helping early-stage companies scale efficiently by leveraging digital technologies, simulation, and streamlined development processes. He regularly speaks with business and engineering leaders about innovation, go-to-market strategy, and practical approaches to accelerating growth.
Before joining Dassault Systèmes, Kip held several Director roles focused on PLM strategy and implementation, building a strong foundation in engineering technology and leadership. He's also worked as a consultant, guiding companies through product data management and helping engineering teams work more effectively with their tools
