Episode description

Alexander Krüger is the Co-Founder and CEO of United Manufacturing Hub, an open-source company that develops software for the manufacturing industry. Throughout our conversation, Alexander describes the unusual path he took in going from a services-based consulting company to a product-led company. He also describes the opportunities and challenges of selling open-source software to an industry that has historically been slow to adopt new technology, as well as his choice to hone a go-to-market strategy before exploring fundraising.

Highlights:

• I introduce Alexander, and he gives some background on his company United Manufacturing Hub (00:22)
• How Alexander decided to develop open-source software for manufacturers (01:39)
• Alexander describes the early days of launching United Manufacturing Hub and how he got his first customers (04:06)
• How long it took to go from a consulting firm to a product-based company (06:57)
• Why it’s important to Alexander that United Manufacturing Hub is an open-source company (08:20)
• Alexander describes the go-to-market strategy at United Manufacturing Hub and how it impacts their fundraising efforts  as well as their monetization model (11:06) 
• Alexander describes an interesting mistake he made and what he learned from it (19:10)
• How different it is to sell open-source software in the manufacturing space versus other industries (21:31) 
• The biggest challenges facing United Manufacturing Hub today (22:35)
• Alexander describes the pros and cons of going from a services company to a product company (25:44)
• Where people can go to learn more about United Manufacturing Hub and connect with Alexander (29:38)

Links:

Alexander

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-krueger/
• Twitter:
• Company: https://www.umh.app/