Hardware vs. Software and Building Complete Systems | In The Arena

In this episode of In the Arena, Vannevar CEO Brett Granberg breaks down the shift from building software-only tools to integrated hardware-software systems. He shares why defense startups need to deliver complete systems (as opposed to just components), how hardware forces a different pace of iteration, and why real-world deployments – failures and all – are the only way to validate products.

We cover lessons from Vannevar’s RF sensing venture, the structural challenges of defense acquisition, and what it really takes to move fast in hardware while staying mission-first.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:19 Do defense companies need to build both hardware and software?
01:56 Deciding to build hardware as a software-first company
03:45 Building exquisite systems vs. smaller, attritable nodes
05:38 Differences between hardware and software builders
07:15 How to learn how to build hardware
09:27 How does the government customer shape how you build hardware products?
13:08 How to build an integrated system
14:26 Scaling software vs. hardware companies
16:16 Aligning incentives when team cadences are different
18:01 Building hardware as a remote-first company
19:28 Lessons defense primes could learn
22:12 The unexpected
24:04 Build vs. buy considerations

Watch a video of this episode