Karlis A.

Hardware Architect | Embedded Firmware | PCB | Robotics | DFM

Most hardware products don't fail at the idea — they fail at execution. I lead architecture, embedded, and firmware work for founders building hardware that has to ship at production, not just demo. I'm Karlis, principal engineer and founder of null2.one — a small senior studio for 0→1 hardware product work. We work with founders, scale-ups, and engineering teams where the cost of a wrong technical decision is months and six figures. Where I'm strongest — Hardware product architecture — Embedded systems and firmware (STM32, ESP32, nRF, Linux) — Power electronics, battery, USB-PD, thermal — Sensors and closed-loop control — Robotics and mechatronics — DFM and industrialization (EVT → DVT → PVT) What I actually solve — "Our prototype works on the bench but won't survive a factory." — "We've burned months on the wrong architecture and need to reset before raising again." — "We're juggling four freelancers and have no senior technical owner." — "We need to validate the risky paths before committing to tooling and certifications." — "Our BOM looks fine on paper and is unmanufacturable at volume." How I work — three phases, fixed scope, fixed price 01. Product Definition & Architecture — 4 to 8 weeks Turn product ambiguity into explicit architectural, commercial, and production decisions before execution begins. Output: a product definition that survives contact with production. 02. Prototype & Validation — 6 to 14 weeks Architecture-first prototyping that surfaces real constraints early. EVT-grade hardware with a clear path to production. Firmware, electronics, and mechanical integrated into one validated system. 03. Production Readiness & Industrialization — 8 to 20 weeks Design for manufacturing, supplier selection, EVT/DVT/PVT gate support, end-of-line test strategy, clean handoff to manufacturing. The work that decides whether first-run yield holds. Every engagement starts with Phase 01. No exceptions. You decide whether to continue to the next phase based on what comes out of the previous one. Indicative pricing (USD) — Phase 01 — Definition & Architecture: $8k–$25k — Phase 02 — Prototype & Validation: $35k–$120k — Phase 03 — Production Readiness: $60k–$250k+ Background — Principal engineer & founder, null2.one — Senior Product Manager, Aerones — robotics for wind-turbine inspection and maintenance — CTO & CCO, NovaticLab — patent-pending robotic automation — BEng, VIA University College, Denmark — 10+ years across robotics, embedded, IoT, wearables, ruggedized industrial hardware Why this works You stop paying for time and start paying for outcomes. Each phase has a defined deliverable and a price agreed before any engineering begins. You decide whether to continue at every gate — no open-ended retainers, no scope drift. Everything we produce belongs to you: architecture, design files, firmware, test procedures, supplier relationships. No IP lock-in. Who I work with — Hardware founders who need clarity and a real architecture before raising or building — Scale-ups who need deep technical execution on a critical system — Funded startups where the next architecture decision is worth six figures of avoided rework — Engineering teams that need senior system-level leadership without hiring a CTO Not a fit — Pure SaaS or web work — "Can you just build this?" hourly task work — Sub-$5k scopes — Buyers shopping primarily on price — Branding or marketing-only engagements Next step If you have a hardware product where the technical decisions are expensive to get wrong, send the job invite. I respond within one business day with an honest read on whether we're a fit. If we are, we scope a Phase 01 — fixed price, defined deliverable, no commitment beyond that.