Episode #8
Why Building Health Hardware Is So Brutal — Stefan van der Fluit, FLOWBIO
“Don’t get into hardware if you don’t like being punched in the face 10 times a day.” Stefan van der Fluit has spent six years building FLOWBIO, a wearable that turns sweat into data about sodium and fluid loss for endurance athletes. He joins Will to explain how childhood dehydration and an attempt to earn a professional IRONMAN card led to the product; why the hard parts of hardware can become a defensible moat; how FLOWBIO shifted from a DTC-first plan to a business where 65% of sales come through retail partners; and why its strategy alongside much larger wearable companies is to go an inch wide and a mile deep. They also cover authentic athlete relationships, the Tour de France “Spot the Bulge” idea, creating more surface area for luck, leading with humility, and the difference between creating value and capturing it. Disclosure: Will Read is an investor in FLOWBIO. FLOWBIO: https://flowbio.com/
