251. Michael Corr & Justin Sears on How Altium & Duro Are Fueling the Next Generation of Hardware Startups

In this episode, we speak with Michael Corr, co-founder and CEO of Duro, and Justin Sears, head of product marketing at Altium, about how connected cloud platforms are changing hardware development. Michael traces Duro’s path from an idea inspired by costly production data mistakes to a mid-market product lifecycle management platform, its response to COVID-era supply chain disruption, and its acquisition by Altium. Justin explains how Altium Agile Teams connects electrical, mechanical, procurement, and manufacturing teams across the product lifecycle.

They also explore the data foundation needed for useful engineering AI, Duro’s API-first rebuild, specialized agents for BOM analysis and part sourcing, and why small hardware teams may regain an edge as powerful development tools become more accessible.

Key takeaways:

- Disconnected files, handoffs, and data silos between engineering and operations create avoidable production errors and delays.

- A digital thread brings design, sourcing, manufacturability, and production data into one connected workflow so teams can respond earlier.

- Duro rebuilt its platform around a public API that exposes every product feature, making custom integrations and agent-driven workflows easier to build.

- Useful engineering AI depends on access to connected data and domain knowledge. Specialized agents may be most valuable for tasks such as BOM analysis, procurement, and part selection.

- Altium and Duro are combining PCB design, multidisciplinary collaboration, PLM, and supply chain visibility across the hardware lifecycle.

- Smaller hardware startups can now move faster with modern tools, but building and maintaining their own production-grade software still requires deep expertise and ongoing resources.