We Design & Build Your Hardware

We design & manufacture
Industrial, medical, & consumer electronics
Small enough to fit in an oven

HQ in San Diego, CA. Manufacturing at our wholly-owned factories in Tijuana, Mexico and Dongguan, China.

Connor Bush

Post-CES Saturday. ✈️

Thoughts from the airport. 🛅

Every year CES shows us what’s new.
This year felt different. It showed us what’s back.

After years of pause, uncertainty, and “hurry up and wait,” the energy felt tangible. Hardware is back. People are moving. Projects are real. Deals are happening.

Yes, there was incredible technology on the expo floor. But what really stood out was where the most meaningful shifts were happening. In the hallways. Over meals. At happy hours. In the conversations between meetings.

Those in-between moments felt catalytic. Real problems, real timelines, real collaboration. The kind that actually turns ideas into products.

Software and AI are still everywhere, (and robot lawnmowers 🚜🤖) but this time hardware is leading the charge. The buzz wasn’t theoretical. It was practical, human, and fast-moving.

For the first time in quite a while, I’m walking away from #CES feeling deeply optimistic about the year ahead for all of us.

Connor Bush 🔋🖥📟

We Manufacture Your Hardware at Scale (USA, Mexico, & China) | Ecosystem, Pipeline & Partner Strategy

Happy #CES Week!

The goal this week is simple: overwhelm our industry with enthusiasm and optimism.

People don’t buy what we sell. They buy why we sell it, and who we are. You represent your company culture everywhere this week: in the airport, at happy hour, on the show floor, at the blackjack tables, and everywhere in between.

At the same time, the real work doesn’t pause. Open projects still need momentum. That may mean earlier mornings, a laptop in your backpack, or sneaking work in between meetings. CES is chaotic ... and chaos is where mistakes can happen.

Not for the faint of heart.
But for those up to the challenge, the rewards can be significant.

Grateful to work in this industry & with our peers. Let’s make it a great week in Vegas. 🎲✨

Behind every email, meeting, and deadline is a human life in motion.

Over the past month, I had to say goodbye to my dog on Christmas Eve and my cat just yesterday. It’s been heavy, but it’s also been a reminder I wanted to share here.

LinkedIn isn’t Facebook, and this isn’t about sympathy. It’s about perspective. Everyone you interact with is carrying something you can’t see.

So if someone is slow to respond, short on a call, or having an off day, try not to take it personally. Life is always happening in the background.

A little patience and grace go a long way, especially in professional settings.

Happy first Monday after CES.

The expo matters.

But in hardware and manufacturing, the pre-show and post-show matter even more.
#CES conversations are fun.

January and February decisions are what determine whether anything actually ships this year.

In our world, momentum is fragile. If we haven’t engaged by late January or early February, most “let’s ship in 2026” ideas quietly turn into “maybe next year.”

The recipe is simple:

Diligent pre-research

Clear, honest conversations during the show

Timely follow-up before momentum fades
Miss one ingredient and the whole dish falls apart.

If we talked at CES about shipping in 2026… now is the moment. For your own good 😅

I've NPI'd in places you couldn't even dream of DFM'ing from.

It’s Friday.

The flu is plaguing society.
Winter storms are looming.

Life is short.

Go outside and touch some grass.
Hug someone you care about.
Watch a show you’ve already seen twice.

Before all the deadlines, decks, and deliverables, remember:

We’re humans first.

Hustle culture has a time and place.
Tonight probably isn’t it.

Your project will still be there Monday.

I'm not ignoring anyone.

The CES flu-pocolypse struck me down yesterday. 

Take your vitamins!

co-founder & CEO @ Beacons AI | helping 8m+ creators build smarter businesses | Stanford AI PhD

my top takeaway from CES this year was...




the flu 🫠

I am registered for the 2026 AHR Expo! Learn more about HVACR's main event and join me in Vegas! https://lnkd.in/gTd8ZC33
#2026AHREXPO #AHREXPO2026 #AHREXPO

Choosing an electronics contract manufacturer isn’t about “best.”

It’s about best for your stage.

If you came from Google, Meta, or Microsoft, it can feel natural to go straight to a Tier 1 CM.

But many Tier 1s now require $25M+ annual spend and even then, you may not get the A-team.

That can mean slower responses, less prioritization, and limited access to leadership.

On the other end, choosing a small, fast, low-volume partner can be perfect early on but painful if you need to scale quickly. Not every agile shop can grow with you.

Too big and you lose agility.
Too small and you hit a ceiling.
Wrong fit and you risk delays or even getting “fired” by your manufacturer.

Often the healthiest path looks like:

⚪ Quick-turn / low-volume CM early
⚪ Overlap with a mass-production CM as you scale
⚪ Graduate to Tier 1 when volume truly justifies it

At scale, diversification matters too. Multiple geographies, multiple partners, and shared volume can reduce risk and increase resilience.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

And the most dangerous mindset in manufacturing is black-and-white thinking.

This is a multi-year (sometimes multi-decade) partnership.

🤝 Choose accordingly.

The EMS ecosystem in Mexico is alive and well. 

AND 

Thrilled to see all of the crazy growth from orgs in-region. 

Curious about nearshoring your production in 2026 and beyond? 

DMs are open!

#EMS #CM #ElectronicsManufacturing #nearshoring

Strategic Business Development Director | Driving Growth & Partnerships

In our Mexico factory today.
Assemblies moving out. Machines humming. Teams locked in.

The photo attached is just Building 1 of 3. All connected. Nearly 80,000 square feet moving in sync.

This is the part people don’t always see. The coordination. The discipline. The repetition done right. Boxes stacked because schedules were hit and quality held.

There’s something timeless about a shop floor that’s running the way it should. Materials flowing. People executing. Work leaving the building on time.

This is what excites me.
Real manufacturing. Real output. Real momentum.

AI notetakers. 

Which one is elite? 

tysm in advance <3

Must work across Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, etc.

Planning 2026 event travel.

Where do I need to go? What do I need to see? Who do I need to meet?

Historically, I have done: CES, CEDIA, AHR, TechConSoCal, LA Tech Week, Seattle Tech Week, and SF Tech Week. 

What am I missing?

What are the best shows to mix and mingle with all folks doing great things in consumer, medical, and industrial electronic devices? 

TYSMIA <3

Thinking about heading to #NAMM on the 23rd w/ the homie Scott Cole .

I’ve never attended, so I’m curious to hear from the network.

From the perspective of a mass-production EMS/CM supporting consumer, medical, and industrial electronic devices with factories in China and Mexico, is NAMM a show worth attending?

Is there meaningful overlap with teams thinking about scaling hardware, supply chain, or next-gen product launches?

Would love any firsthand takes. TYSM

I'm renting a car and driving out to #AHR2026 on Sunday. 

Anyone else going to be in Vegas for the expo?

I am bringing the good word of mass production #electronics #manufacturing in China and Mexico. 

Also, going to be playing some Padel at P1 Padel Las Vegas on Sunday.

If you work in the electronics industry, and find yourself in Vegas on Sunday, and want to play some friendly competition with other folks in the hardware space, please drop a comment or send a DM!

I'll be walking the floor all day Monday and Tuesday. 

This is my first time back at #AHR in a few years. I am excited to see what is new and trending.

Growth in Climatetech & Energy | Born at global CO2 347.15 ppm

I'm a fractional executive who helps technical founders scale without the operational chaos that kills momentum.

The pattern I see: Early-stage companies land their first customers. They deliver and learn. Then operations become chaos at $500K, break at $2M.

That's where I come in.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨:
📊 Build scalable operations that don't require you to be in every meeting
🔗 Align cross-functional teams around executable growth plans
🚀 Craft go-to-market strategies that actually convert
⚙️ Translate vision into systems that work

𝐌𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝:
Senior leadership at venture-backed tech companies. Built and led sales teams. Worked with Fortune 100 brands and government agencies. I've been the operator in the room when things needed to scale fast.

𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡:
🛠️Technical founders who need executive capacity without a full-time hire
📈VCs looking for operational support across portfolio companies
🧰Companies stuck between rounds who need to build for what's next

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒕: LoriDunn.co

⚡️ Lori Dunn

It's hard to watch brilliant leaders almost kill their decade-old company.

Not because of product failure.

Because they couldn't get out of their own way.

White-knuckled grip. 👊  No one could breathe. They stepped down and the company cycled through short-term leaders who couldn't stabilize anything.

What saved the company?

Someone from the early team. No formal leadership training. But they had something each leader before them didn't...

They made the team around them stronger than themselves.

Different kind of ownership. No "this is mine, it has to be my way" drive.

Each person had a voice. Their expertise was respected. So they spoke up more.

Team cohesion strengthened. Customer growth accelerated. New funding came through. 💸 

This was a Hail Mary moment where emotional intelligence + technical knowledge turned everything around.

What's the most expensive leadership mistake you've seen a founder make?

#leadership #emotionalintelligence

Chaos → Capital-Ready Ops | Fractional Executive | Speaker | Board Advisor | Born at global CO2 347.15 ppm

A leader sent me a draft multi-paragraph message to fire a vendor they cared about.

Financial reasoning. Strategic rationale. "It's not you, it's just business. You're doing great work."

Every word was true.

Every sentence made it worse.

Here's what the leader missed:
The vendor didn't just lose a contract. They lost a relationship. 💔

The growth opportunity. The partnership they'd been counting on. The validation they were on the right track.

They didn't need justification.

They needed: "I'm so sorry we can't continue. The contract is terminated. But I'm excited about your career. I want to be a champion for you moving forward."

Clear. Respectful. Human.

By helping this leader see the over-communication, something shifted.

The relationship survived. The vendor didn't internalize it as failure.

That's emotional intelligence. 

Doing what you can so when your name is mentioned... 
𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈  ✨

What's the hardest professional conversation you've ever had to have?

#leadership #communication

Charisma gets you in the room.

Emotional intelligence keeps you there.

I've seen charismatic founders walk into investor meetings and own the room.

Then turn around and alienate their entire executive team in a single all-hands because they couldn't read the exhaustion.

The charisma got them the funding. 💰

The lack of EQ cost them the team's dedication.

Think about it like baking a cake. 🍰

Charisma is walking into the kitchen with all the ingredients set, mise en place.

But without knowing how they work together, you can't make a cake.

EQ is understanding that salt looks different than sugar.

And wow, that difference will truly ruin your cake.

Do you think charisma and EQ can be cultivated?

#leadership #emotionalintelligence

taplio

The Battle

Connor Bush

⚡️ Lori Dunn

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taplio

The Battle

Connor Bush

⚡️ Lori Dunn

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Connor Bush's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreConnor Bush's LinkedIn Performance