and then $1M++ to design parts, molds, fixtures, machine processes, finishes, coatings, and QA for the new custom chassis. Using ODM standard designs is the only practical thing to do at small volume.

I was initially skeptical of that claim, but it looks like [1] System76 are a million dollar company, which is great! That said, "hiring IDEO" is not a one-and-done sort of affair, you can hire great designers to do some work for you, but they want to keep getting paid as you have them work on more stuff.

1: https://incfact.com/company/system76-denver-co/

How much work will IDEO do for $100k?