Why Hardware Engineering Needs a Software Overhaul – Lessons from Lucy Hoag

In the latest episode of the Space Insiders Show, Tony Sewell and Rob Ruyak had the pleasure of speaking with Lucy Hoag , Founder and CEO of Violet Labs, a SaaS company revolutionizing the way hardware engineering teams work by integrating disparate software tools. Here are three key insights from our conversation with Lucy that we thought were particularly interesting:

1. The Challenge of Fragmented Engineering Workflows: Lucy shared her experiences at Google, Waymo, and Amazon Project Kuiper, highlighting the persistent issue of disconnected software tools in hardware engineering. This lack of connectivity led her to create Violet Labs, a platform designed to bridge these silos with no-code connectors, making it easier for engineering teams to synchronize data across various tools without relying on technical expertise. This approach not only saves time and reduces costs but also opens the door for advanced analytics and AI-driven insights that can drive significant efficiencies.

2. The Journey from Aerospace Engineering to SaaS Entrepreneurship: Lucy’s journey from aspiring astronaut to startup founder is a compelling narrative of persistence and strategic pivoting. From her early days at Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to her work on advanced programs at Google and Waymo, Lucy accumulated deep technical expertise that she later leveraged to address a major gap in hardware engineering software. Her story underscores the value of drawing on diverse industry experiences to identify and solve pervasive problems.

3. Building a Flexible, Customer-Centric SaaS Platform: One of the most striking aspects of Violet Labs is its flexibility. Designed to be cloud-agnostic and capable of running in air-gapped environments, Violet Labs caters to both commercial and defense sectors. This strategic positioning has enabled the company to address a broader market while remaining nimble enough to serve startups, large enterprises, and government contractors alike. The ability to operate on cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), support regulated environments like GovCloud, and on-premise environments has proven to be a key differentiator in an industry marked by stringent compliance requirements.

Want to learn more about Lucy’s journey and Violet Labs’ mission to transform hardware engineering? Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, and follow us on LinkedIn for more inspiring founder stories.