Hi, Loved your Dishwasher robot post the other day. IMHO, see if you can gang up with your co-conspirator and raise seed money. Heck, if you can afford it, consider moving to the valley and try to get in the next YC cohort. These days they seem to have a predilection towards funding HW ventures. If all else fails, you will still have all the experience of an entrepreneur which will carry you places. AS an aside, Have you considered "Industrial Automation" jobs. Companies like Tesla might be interested in your profile.