Prototype
From proof of concept to a functional prototype on custom PCBs, with firmware and a cloud connection behind it.
- Architecture and part selection
- Schematic and PCB layout
- Firmware and connectivity
- Enclosure for early builds
Connected products,
brought to life.
Farad Labs is a founder-led product development studio in Richmond, Virginia. We take connected products from first prototype to thousands of units in the field: electronics, firmware, connectivity, cloud and enclosure, and the path through manufacturing.
- Frost Solutions road weather stations shipped
- 1,500+
- US states and Canadian provinces reporting
- 37 + 7
- Rocket Wagon retail deployments
- 750+
- Hands-on engineering, board to cloud
- 15+ years
The whole product.
One team across every layer of a connected device, so the trade-offs between enclosure, power, radio and firmware get made in one place instead of across three vendors.
Farad Labs owns everything that makes it a working, shippable, updatable product, from the first board to the units already in the field.
EnclosureDesigned in-house, with our expert partners or alongside your team, so it’s beautiful, unique and functional.
SensorSelection, calibration and filtering, so the data is worth sending.
ElectronicsSchematic, PCB layout and DFM for automated assembly.
Radio & antennaBLE, Wi-Fi, LoRa or cellular, chosen on range, power and cost, with certification planned early.
FirmwareLow-power design, RTOS and signed over-the-air updates.
BatteryPower budget, solar harvesting, charging.
Bringing it all togetherAssembly, factory test and provisioning, and a clean handoff to your contract manufacturer.
Hardware & connected products
From first prototype to thousands in the field.
Bring us in at any stage. Each one hands off cleanly to the next, because the same engineer is carrying it through.
Production
The path through manufacturing, so the design that works on the bench also builds on the line.
- DFM and EVT / DVT / PVT builds
- Factory test and provisioning
- Certification planning
- Contract manufacturer handoff
Fleet
Keeping the units already out there healthy, observable and up to date.
- Device provisioning
- Monitoring and diagnostics
- Signed over-the-air updates
- Cloud and data pipeline
Fractional CTO
Part-time technical leadership: roadmap, vendors, manufacturers, hiring and investor diligence.
Fractional CTONot sure where to start?
Describe the product. We’ll tell you what the first phase should prove.
Describe your productAI strategy & integration
Practical AI, from an engineer who ships it.
For businesses that want AI to do real work: find the use cases worth doing, train the team, and build the integrations.
Selected work
Products we’ve brought to life.
Connected products Luke has helped bring to life, as a co-founder, a CTO and a hardware lead.
Frost Solutions
1,500+ road weather stations shipped, reporting from 37 states and 7 Canadian provinces.
CTO from launch; designed and built the hardware
Read the case study
Rocket Wagon
Connected products for Fortune 500 clients, with 750+ retail deployments.
Co-founder & CTO
Read the case study
VisiPill
A smart medication dispenser, taken from concept to production.
Hardware Team Lead
Read the case study
Light for Hope
Solar lanterns for homes off the grid in the rural Philippines.
Hardware lead, at Rocket Wagon
Read the case study
Founder-led
Hands-on, start to finish.
Every project is led by Luke Libraro, hands-on from the first schematic to the factory floor to the fleet dashboard.
Luke brings 15+ years of engineering and product leadership across hardware, firmware, cloud and AI. No account managers: the person who scopes your project leads the work. We build the first web experience, from dashboards to companion web apps, alongside the device, and bring in partner teams when an app needs to scale.
- Frost SolutionsCTO from launch; designed and built the hardware
- Rocket WagonCo-founder & CTO · 2015–2023
- VisiPillHardware team lead
- Light for HopeHardware lead, at Rocket Wagon
Enclosures, in-house or with expert partners
We design your enclosure in-house or bring in expert mechanical engineering and industrial design partners, so the product is beautiful, functional and built to work in the field. Already have a design team? We work alongside them.
Process
How we work
Streamlined process. Senior execution. No surprises.
- 01
Discovery
A focused conversation about goals, constraints and timeline. Just the context needed to move.
- 02
Scope & plan
Clear deliverables, milestones and success criteria for the first phase.
- 03
Build
Luke leads the work hands-on, with regular check-ins.
- 04
Ship & support
Production-ready work with documentation, and support after launch.
FAQ
Common questions
What does Farad Labs do?
Farad Labs is a founder-led product development company for hardware startups. We design and build electronic and IoT prototypes, write production firmware, take products from prototype to production, and serve as a fractional CTO. We also help businesses plan and build practical AI.
Where is Farad Labs located?
Farad Labs is based in Richmond, Virginia. We work in person with teams in the Richmond area and remotely with hardware startups across the US, traveling for kickoffs, builds and field tests.
Do you build mobile and web apps?
Yes, the first version. We build the initial web experience, such as dashboards, admin tools and companion web apps, alongside the device, firmware and cloud. When an app needs to scale beyond that, we bring in a partner team and manage the integration, so you keep one technical point of contact.
What stage of startup do you work with?
Early-stage and venture-backed hardware startups, typically pre-seed to Series A: teams that need a working prototype, a production-ready design, or senior technical leadership before they can hire it full time.
Tell us what you’re building.
A short call is usually enough to know whether we’re the right fit, and what the first phase should prove.
hello@farad.dev