TinyPilot：一人打造的树莓派KVM设备营收达100万美元，以59.8万美元出售

做的是什么生意

TinyPilot is a Raspberry Pi-based KVM-over-IP device: it lets users remotely control a computer without a connected monitor or keyboard through a browser, packaged as a plug-and-play finished kit and sold to developers, self-hosted server users, and IT teams.

启动资金：No external funding; in the first year (2020), total costs for materials, outsourced engineering, and other items were about $59k, all funded from the founder's personal savings.

起因

In 2017, Michael Lynch left Google to work as an independent developer; in the first two years, all projects combined earned less than $10k. In May 2020, he spent several months building a TinyPilot prototype and wrote a blog post: within 4 hours, 9 kits sold out, and in one week he sold $8.8k, becoming a popular front-page Hacker News post (one of the highest-scoring 'Show HN' posts of that year).

经过

For the following four years, TinyPilot was Lynch's only main business: 2020 revenue $53k (net loss $5.7k, costs front-loaded), 2022 revenue $807k (net profit $10k), and in 2023, after replacing the 3D-printed case with a metal case and outsourcing assembly and fulfillment to a third party, revenue reached $993k and net profit $236k, with a team of 7. Throughout, no funding and no sales team.

结果

In April 2024, it was sold to an individual buyer for $598k in cash (listed at $599k, about 2.9x annual profit); after deducting broker commission $88.9k and legal fees $18.3k, net proceeds were $490,803. Four-year cumulative profit plus sale proceeds was about $920k. His reason for selling was to escape the pressure of running a hardware business and return to writing code.

可借鉴之处

中端硬件可以有百万美元的市场，但会将创始人牢牢绑定在供应链上；出售是最舒适的退出方式。