Build hardware in a Shenzhen factory.
Live next to the beach. Get connected with founders and investors. Eight weeks alongside engineers who make products for global brands you know.
8-week hardware residency in Shenzhen. Founding cohort: spring 2027. 6 to 8 people.
The Fudakin molding floor and press shop, Shenzhen.
Hardware is hard to price from far away.
First-time hardware founders often get quotes that are guesses. Suppliers reply slowly. Tooling costs show up late, and they are bigger than planned.
You can lose months and a lot of money before you hold a sample worth showing anyone.
Being in the room fixes most of it.
You work inside a factory that is running today.
- 300 people
- work at Fudakin, making real orders for global brands you know.
- Make it here
- 3D printing, CNC, prototyping and more. A part can go from your bench to a machine in minutes.
- Real numbers
- Our own software and engineers get you real costs, benchmarked against live production. Your BOM matches what factories will charge today.
- What's already here
- Injection molding
- Overmolding
- 5-axis CNC
- Metal stamping
- Painting
- Sewing
- Electronics and LED assembly
- Full assembly lines
200,000 m² of factory, running since 1996.
Six things you can put in front of an investor or a supplier.
A design ready to make
Your design, reviewed by factory engineers so it can be made well and at a fair cost.
A physical prototype
3D printed, CNC machined or, if timing allows, a molded sample. We pick the fastest way that fits your product.
A real cost sheet
Built from real cost benchmarks from live production. No guesses.
A supplier shortlist
Fudakin plus a network of verified factories we know and trust.
A production plan
What to make, when, and what it costs to land it at your door.
The cohort and the network
Fellow founders, past residents, and time with investors.
Four stages. One demo day.
- Weeks 1 and 2
Shape it
Industrial design and ideas. Or, if you already have a product, a teardown and design-for-manufacturing review. Build the plan, meet the factory and start locking the design.
- Weeks 3 and 4
Prototype it
Build prototypes. Shoot content for your launch. Get quotes from Fudakin and partner factories.
- Weeks 5 and 6
Build it. Meet investors.
Keep improving your product while we introduce you to investors and help with outreach.
- Weeks 7 and 8
Plan it and show it
Landed-cost model, production plan, then demo day: you pitch and investors watch.
Our promise: a working sample made by the fastest process that fits your product. We set it with you during intake.
Beach apartments by night. Factory floor by day.
Living in Dameisha
You share an apartment in Dameisha, a beachfront neighborhood on Shenzhen Metro Line 8. It is about 20 to 25 minutes from the factory by car. Nearby you will find a gym, a coastal hiking trail, malls and the beach.
- Three western-leaning meals a day
- A 24-hour gym
- DiDi (ride-hailing) credit for the commute
Shared apartment. Photo coming soon.
Where you'll hang out
The rooms you will use every day, inside the Fudakin building.
Office and open work area
Daily desk work, a shared lounge and ping pong. This is the cohort's home base.
Maker space
Inside the working factory floor. 3D printers, hand tools and electronics test benches. Real CNC or production work goes straight to the factory floor or to Xieyi, one floor away.
Meeting room
The traditional reception office. Used for investor sessions, formal reviews and demo day.
Work hard. Then go robot fighting.
Community is half the program. You live, build and go out with 6 to 8 other founders. We host the events.
Meet the right people
Dinners with investors
Time with founders and builders
Trade shows and conventions
Get out of the factory
Hikes on the coast
A boat party
Shenzhen nightlife
Robot fighting
A day in Hong Kong
Golf
Built for founders who are ready to make something.
A good fit
- You run a small physical-product brand and are ready to go custom.
- Your brand sells about $25K a month or more online, or you have a hardware startup with pre-seed funding or more, or you have a proven crowdfunding campaign.
- You have a working prototype, or a product you want to make your own. Mechanical, physical products fit best.
- You plan to start production in the next 3 to 6 months.
- Or your company sends a product engineer, paid from a business budget.
Many founders in this spot are doing custom tooling for the first time, or had a bad experience with a past supplier.
Probably not a fit
- Hobby projects with no launch plan.
- Students.
- Bootstrapped founders with no budget for the program.
- Pure software teams.
- Anyone who only wants cheap wholesale sourcing.
Built around your product.
Pricing depends on what you need. Housing, meals, engineer time and events can be shaped around your project. We'll give you a number on the call.
What the program can include
- Shared apartment in Dameisha
- Three meals a day
- 24-hour gym
- DiDi credit for the factory commute
- The curriculum
- Engineer time
- Lab and maker space access
- Group dinners and events
- Investor and founder network
Manufacturing is quoted separately
Mold trials, tooling and pre-production runs are quoted for your part. As a resident, you get priority access to the factory's machines and engineers.
Production-order credit
Make your product with Fudakin within 12 months and part of your program fee comes back as credit on your order.
6 to 8 people. Spring 2027.
The first group is small on purpose. Everyone gets real time with the engineers and the machines.
We start after Chinese New Year. Exact dates are set with the first group, once we know who is coming.
Questions founders ask.
Do I need a visa?
Requirements depend on your passport. We'll guide you before you book flights.
Will I get a molded sample?
You will get a working sample made by the fastest process that fits your product. We set that with you during intake. It might be 3D printed, CNC machined or, if timing allows, molded. A production mold often takes 4 to 5 weeks or more on its own, so we can't promise a molded sample.
How is my design protected?
We take this seriously. Ask us on your call and we will explain how files and drawings are handled during the program. This page is not legal advice. Talk to your own lawyer about protecting your design.
What about language?
Ask us about language on your call and tell us what you need. We will tell you plainly how communication works on the factory floor before you decide.
What should I bring?
Your render, sketch or early prototype. Any CAD files you have. A rough idea of your target price and first order size. A laptop. A list of questions for the factory.
Book a 20-minute video call.
We take a small number of people, so the call starts with four short questions.
- Product. What are you making?
- Stage and funding. Where is it today, and how is it funded?
- Budget. Can you cover the program fee and your own manufacturing costs?
- Timing. When do you want to start production?