Rishab Patwari is the CEO and co-founder of Hivebotics, a Singapore-based robotics startup that has secured over 1,000 LOIs worth an estimated USD$70 million with USD$500K in pre-orders for their autonomous toilet-cleaning robots—revolutionizing the commercial cleaning industry.

Listen on the go:
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/TC_8ikxPtds
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/73OY2tusErrnZEbwCvUP5d?si=p3P4rpoZS5-DNIMsMXAEaQ
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/usd%2470m-committed-before-launch-a-guide-to-robotics/id1781364637?i=1000684575100

In our conversation, we dive into:
🤖 The large opportunity of robotics and how Rishab found product-market fit
🤖 Securing LOIs and funding—why early validation is crucial for hardware startups
🤖 Building teams and advisors—when to hire, when to outsource, and how to manage them
🤖 Navigating Singapore’s tough hardware startup ecosystem—the real costs, challenges, and pivots
🤖 Achieving PMF in robotics—why functional demos, iteration, and customer feedback matter
🤖 Cash management, debt, and grants—balancing survival versus growth
🤖 Personal growth and founder mindset—staying resilient amid daily “failures” and rejections
🤖 Much more!

Connect deeper:
Substack: https://sowandscale.substack.com/
WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CM0YQhhFZF0BfdtmAwTFKb
Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictisme/
Rishab on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishab-patwari/
Hivebotics: https://hivebotics.tech/

Quick Fire Round

Books:
- Start with Why by Simon Sinek – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7108725-start-with-why
- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156469-never-split-the-difference
- Culture Map by Erin Meyer – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22085568-the-culture-map

Movie:
The Founder (2016) – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/