I find make, cmake, and the other stuff annoying also. For personal stuff I just use a build.sh file. For debugging I use gf2, which is a gdb frontend. Hopefully raddebugger gets ported to linux soon. One nice tool I like on linux for prototyping is the tiny c compiler, because it compiles 7x faster than gcc or clang. It is also much faster than the visual studio compiler. I remember trying to get the tiny c compiler to work on windows; it can compile things, but I couldn't get it to generate pdb files for debug info.
To set the record straight, I was the one that reached out to the creator to get his story, because I thought the cards were cool. He would not have spent the time doing this interview if I hadn't asked him to.
I know of CyberBadge from Poland, which is making a very primitive version of what you're describing. They don't have a screen, just an array of programmable led lights. People use them at events. https://cyberbadge.net/
Whenever I see a hardware startup that I personally would like to know more about, I reach out.
I have had the most success with messaging people on Hacker News who have mentioned their company. They seem to be the most open. I have also talked to people on Reddit, CrowdSupply, and companies I have seen in the news.