Steel Bot

This is Second Opinion, a newsletter created by Hustle Fund, where we weigh in (with our second opinion) and give tactical advice on founder situations.

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Today’s Edition

Most humanoid robot startups are racing to ship something "done." Randall Briggs is betting that's the wrong race entirely.

✨Today's episode: build the platform, not the product

Haley Bryant, Hustle Fund partner, talks with Randall Briggs, founder and CEO of Steel Bot, about why he's building an open, hackable robot instead of a polished one. Two things stood out:

Let customers break it. Root access, moddable firmware, even costumes — Randall's betting on right-to-repair over a finished product. For example, the Apple II shipped with almost nothing in 1977, and it took two years for VisiCalc to make it indispensable. Customers find the app, not the founder.

Let customers sell it. Randall's first two checks closed after investors talked directly to his users, not after a killer deck. Proof of demand beats persuasion every time.

Here's the episode:

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