Before you build. Before you code. Before you spend a single dollar.
Go talk to your users.
In this episode of the Semiconductor Leadership Podcast, Dr. Aftab Farooqi, Ph.D., MBA, CEO & Founder of ChipHub, shares one of the most powerful lessons from his journey, validate first.
Even after decades in the semiconductor industry, Aftab didn’t assume he had all the answers. Before developing ChipHub’s AI-enabled sourcing platform, he went back to his peers and asked:
“What do you think?”
“Would this benefit our ecosystem?”
That step was absolutely crucial.
Before investing time, capital, and energy into building, he made sure the problem was real, the pain was shared, and the solution would truly serve its target users.
In an industry where sourcing inefficiencies cost billions and spec mismatches can derail entire programs, validation isn’t optional, it’s foundational.
This episode dives into:
?? The hidden gaps in today’s semiconductor sourcing process
?? How AI can predict mismatches before they become disasters
?? Why neutrality and trust are critical for the future of chip supply chains
?? The hard founder lessons learned along the way
If you’re a hardware OEM, procurement leader, founder, or building something new, this conversation is a reminder: prevention is more powerful than cure, and listening is more powerful than assuming
