At our most recent Hardtech Innovators Network event at Launch Fishers, the main topics of discussion were the latest trends in hardtech innovation and local product development–particularly how physical product innovators can move from a bold vision to a market-ready product.

To kick off the event, David Bolling of the Indiana IoT Lab gave an overview of the host location, Launch Fishers, and introduced attendees to how the Indiana IoT Lab is supporting Indiana’s growing entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem.

With the stage set, we moved into a panel discussion that gave valuable insights into the hardtech product development process from the vision and prototyping to manufacturing and marketing.

The panel discussion was moderated by Ashley Bryan from Launch Fishers, and featured:

Mark McLaurine’s vision when creating Amoon Spirits was simple but bold: take a traditional product—the liquor bottle—and transform it into a full experience. This led to the creation of a liquor bottle with a vortex and lights, complete with a mobile app, which is designed to elevate the energy of bottle service at bars and special events.

Mark emphasized a reality he discovered early in entrepreneurship: without a massive budget, the key is pitching your proof of concept to gain vendor buy-in.

Mark’s first step in bringing his vision to life was approaching Rose-Hulman Ventures while working in Terre Haute. From there, he sought out additional partners with the expertise to help refine and develop the concept. He eventually connected with Outside Source and Indesign, LLC, two Indiana-based firms with proven track records in product development. Indesign specializes in engineering and design for embedded electronic products, while Outside Source brings the strategy, design, and software engineering to an IoT product to market through mobile app development.

Mark recalled immediately feeling the contagious enthusiasm of the Indesign team, which convinced him to formalize a partnership. “When you’re selecting vendors, it’s like a marriage,” he said. “If the foundation isn’t strong, breakdowns are inevitable.”

From the Indesign and Outside Source perspectives, they were impressed with how much preparation and thought Mark had put into the idea. Mason Burgess of Indesign noted, “It’s huge when an entrepreneur shows that they have done their homework and can serve as the subject matter expert.” Brody Robertson and Michael Kritsch echoed that sentiment, saying that after seeing the proof of concept and prototype, they knew the product had disruptive potential.

Everyone on the panel continued emphasizing that trust, adaptability and communication are essential when fostering partnerships between the innovators, product development firms and manufacturers.

As with any hardtech development, the process wasn’t without obstacles. From motor driver issues to circuit board revisions to managing device connectivity, the technical journey had some setbacks. But the proximity of all parties being co-located in Indiana proved to be a major advantage. Challenges could be identified and resolved quickly, enabling faster iteration and progress.

The Outside Source team recognized that the Amoon Spirits mobile app needed to mirror the capability and sophistication of the physical bottle product. They leaned heavily on UX/UI design to ensure that the vortex, lights and colors of the bottle were integrated into a seamless digital experience for the end-user.

Michael and Brody of Outside Source also proposed integrating generative AI to allow users  to quickly create and customize light shows. They demonstrated to Mark how AI could enhance the product’s usability, whether it is during events, bottle service or even displaying team colors at sports bars. The result was an added “wow factor” that the product’s functionality and capabilities for Amoon customers.

A clear and bold vision is the essential starting point, but product development execution requires persistence and collaboration. Success hinges on building local partnerships rooted in trust and expertise. Finally, the integration of genAI can significantly enhance a physical product’s capabilities when leveraged in the rights ways. Examples like Amoon Spirits highlight the unique opportunity for Indiana to lead the next wave of industrial innovation at the intersection of physical and digital technologies.