Diode Computers, Inc. GTM brain

Diode helps hardware teams design, fabricate and assemble custom circuit boards using AI and electrical engineers.

category

AI circuit board design and manufacturing

market profile

  • text: PCB projects span schematic and layout, fabrication, component sourcing and assembly.
  • text: Hardware teams face a choice between engineering their own boards and engaging outside design and manufacturing capacity.

personas

  • title: Hardware engineering lead
    pains:
    • PCB iterations and manufacturability reviews slow prototypes
    • Sourcing and coordinating assembly consume engineering time
  • title: Startup founder building a hardware product
    pains:
    • A small team may lack capacity to turn requirements into manufacturable boards
    • Multiple vendors make the path from idea to assembled board harder to manage
  • title: Electrical engineer
    pains:
    • Routine schematic and layout work competes with system-level design
    • Fab rule violations create rework

icp

  • text: Hardware product companies building robotics, edge AI or other custom electronics.
  • text: Teams with a board description, block diagram, KiCad project or requirements, from prototype through production; no size threshold published.

message pillars

  • text: One workflow from concept through physical boards.
  • text: Code-based design can be checked by AI and engineers.
  • text: Catch fabrication issues before manufacture.

objections

  • objection: Can an AI-designed board meet our electrical and manufacturing requirements?
    response: Review requirements, design checks and bring-up results on a bounded prototype before production.
  • objection: We already have an EDA workflow.
    response: Start with an existing KiCad project and compare the results on a discrete board.

competitors

  • name: Altium
    website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altium
    why: Established PCB design software alternative to outsourcing design.
  • name: Cadence Design Systems
    website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadence_Design_Systems
    why: Electronic design automation and PCB design tooling.

influencers

  • name: Davide Asnaghi
    url: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/y-combinator_davide-asnaghi-and-lenny-khazan-started-diode-activity-7354569362491543553-GpBp
    why: Co-founder discussing AI and PCB design.
  • name: Lenny Khazan
    url: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/y-combinator_davide-asnaghi-and-lenny-khazan-started-diode-activity-7354569362491543553-GpBp
    why: Co-founder discussing the company's approach.

keywords

  • AI PCB design
  • circuit board design service
  • PCB layout automation
  • PCB design and assembly
  • custom circuit board manufacturing
  • KiCad AI design

voice

  • practical
  • technical
  • direct

signals

  • text: A hardware team is prototyping a new board or revising an existing KiCad design.
  • text: A robotics or edge AI company needs custom carrier boards and production capacity.

stack

  • KiCad
  • Zener

hiring

  • Staff Electrical Engineer
  • Staff Software Engineer

pricing

model: flat
starting price: Enterprise design from $10,000 plus fabrication

motion

hybrid

channels

  • LinkedIn
  • YC directory
  • self serve
  • press

confidence

high

Founders

  • name: Davide Asnaghi
    title: Founder/CEO
    role: CEO
    bio: I make circuit boards
  • name: Lenny Khazan
    title: Founder/CTO
    role: CTO
    bio: Lenny is the Co-Founder and CTO @ Diode Computers, Inc.

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