{"podcast":{"title":"WHY DESIGN?","slug":"why-design-7007437","podcast_index_feed_id":7007437,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/why-design/","website_url":"https://teamkodu.com/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/e9eb77df-5cc4-44d4-8364-6a412464bf8d/Zn5a7Oe2JUzfhMgtOdz78g5C.png","author":"Chris Whyte | Kodu","episode_count":78,"summary":"Why Design is a podcast exploring the stories behind hardware and physical product development. Hosted by Chris Whyte, founder of Kodu, the show dives into the journeys of founders, senior design leaders, and engineers shaping people and planet-friendly products. Formerly \"The Design Journeys Podcast\", each episode uncovers pivotal career moments, lessons learned, and behind-the-scenes insights from industry experts. Whether you’re a designer, engineer, or simply curious about how great hardware products come to life, Why Design offers real stories, actionable advice, and inspiration for anyone passionate about design and innovation. Join us as we listen, learn, and connect through the stories that define the world of physical product development.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T14:17:07.354092+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/why-design-7007437"},"episode":{"title":"How Paul Marshall Built Rapid Fluidics into a Global Microfluidics Partner Through Curiosity and Good Engineering","slug":"how-paul-marshall-built-rapid-fluidics-into-a-global-microfluidics-partner-through-curiosity-and-good-engineering","published_at":"2025-12-17T06:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/why-design-7007437/how-paul-marshall-built-rapid-fluidics-into-a-global-microfluidics-partner-through-curiosity-and-good-engineering","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/why-design-7007437","url":"https://why-design.captivate.fm/episode/how-paul-marshall-built-rapid-fluidics-into-a-global-microfluidics-partner-through-curiosity-and-good-engineering","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/1bbe6a39-f08e-4d99-9e37-ab53b30ec1bb.mp3","summary":"What connects offshore engineering, inkjet printers, molecular diagnostics and a small workshop in a church in Newcastle?  For Paul Marshall , it’s all part of the same journey: a lifelong fascination with how things work, and a belief that good engineering can solve meaningful problems.  Paul is the co-founder of Rapid Fluidics , a UK consultancy and prototyping company specialising in microfluidic cartridges. What began as a part-time side project; evenings, weekends and two 3D printers in a rented room has grown into a profitable, globally recognised business serving life sciences startups, research labs and multinational pharma companies.  But the part that makes Paul’s story compelling isn’t the technology.  It’s the honesty:  He never wanted to be a founder.  He never set out to run a business.  And yet here he is, leading a team, travelling the world for client meetings, navigating cash flow, BD, branding, and hiring… all while staying open, self-aware and disarmingly human about the whole thing.  In this episode of Why Design , Paul joins host Chris Whyte to unpack the journey: the technical foundations, the unexpected turns, the small risks, the networking habits, the content strategy, the international expansion, and what it really means to grow a niche hardware business without investment.  Don’t just listen. Go beyond the podcast.  Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events   💡 What You’ll Learn   🧪 Why microfluidics is exploding, and how Rapid Fluidics carved out a niche  🎓 How a grandfather, Lego and curiosity shaped Paul’s engineering mindset   🚀 The step-by-step transition from contractor → founder → employer  📈 Why transparency about cash flow builds trust inside a team…","meta_description":"What connects offshore engineering, inkjet printers, molecular diagnostics and a small workshop in a church in Newcastle? For Paul Marshall , it’s a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3752,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/why-design-7007437/episodes/how-paul-marshall-built-rapid-fluidics-into-a-global-microfluidics-partner-through-curiosity-and-good-engineering/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/why-design-7007437/how-paul-marshall-built-rapid-fluidics-into-a-global-microfluidics-partner-through-curiosity-and-good-engineering.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}