From idea to manufacturable product, one funded step at a time.
We handle customer development and electronics design for people building hardware products — built on a simple rule: decisions that are cheap to change are made early, on paper, and spending that is hard to reverse waits until evidence justifies it.
Engineering that starts with evidence
Most hardware projects fail on assumptions, not electronics. We pair customer development with rigorous engineering so you build the right product — and build it right.
Customer Development
Before a single board is designed, we help you find out whether the market wants what you're building. Requirements capture, feasibility reads, honest answers on whether your target price and your requirements can both hold — and the realistic paths if they can't.
Electronics Design
Complete system design: architecture, component selection priced against live market data, power and performance budgets, schematic and PCB design, firmware, and design for manufacturing when the evidence says go.
Prototyping & Integration
Working units built from off-the-shelf, certified parts — firmware, software, assembly, and installation in the real environment. Every prototype is designed to turn a known unknown into a measurement.
A phased process, priced before it begins
Every engagement runs the same sequence. Each phase ends with a named deliverable, each is priced before it begins, and you can stop after any phase and keep everything produced. You are never asked to commit to the whole program — only to the next step.
Design & feasibility fixed bid
We capture your requirements and constraints, then design the complete system on paper: architecture, every component selected and priced against live market pricing, power and performance budgets, and an honest feasibility read. Done when every subsystem has a named, purchasable part and a price with a source.
Integration: the first working unit bid delivered with phase 1
One complete working unit from off-the-shelf, certified parts — no custom electronics yet. Firmware, software, assembly, and installation in the real environment, designed to turn every known unknown into a measurement.
Pilot: evidence at small scale estimated after integration
A small fleet runs in real conditions. We measure what was previously assumed — duty cycles, failure modes, running costs — and the remaining specification decisions get made from data instead of opinion.
Production: commit with confidence scoped after pilot
Only now, with a validated requirement set, comes the irreversible spending: value engineering to the target cost, custom electronics, design for manufacturing, certification, and volume sourcing.
Terms, briefly
No retainers, no open-ended hourly billing, no lock-in.
Fixed bids, always
Every phase is firmed to a fixed bid before it starts, with the hour breakdown available on request.
Stop anytime
You can stop after any phase and keep everything produced — the work is yours to act on, with us or with any engineering partner.
Your IP, at every step
All work product — designs, documents, source code — is yours at each phase acceptance.
Get support updates by text
FourHead Labs uses SMS for customer care: you can text us support inquiries, and we'll text you updates and responses on your support requests.
Message frequency varies based on your support activity — you'll generally only hear from us about requests you've opened. You can opt out at any time.
Prefer to skip the form? Text your support inquiry directly to (864) 754-7115.
Have a hardware idea?
Tell us what you're building. We'll tell you honestly whether it's feasible — and exactly what the first step costs.
Spartanburg, South Carolina