Calvin Chu has travelled from À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Ontario to San Francisco, California toÌýShenzhen, China all to develop his startup,Ìý. What started as a fourth year design project during Calvin's Mechatronics degreeÌýat the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ quickly grew into an international entrepreneurial pursuit.
PaletteÌýis a freeform, tactile interface that gives hands-on control of your favourite software.
±Ê²¹±ô±ð³Ù³Ù±ðÌýis a hardware platform made up of a variety of modules thatÌýlets youÌýbuild a physicalÌýinterface customized to your personal needs. Each module has a single physical input, like a button, dial or a slider. You snap together modules likeÌýLego, no coding or soldering required!
With Palette you can have a tool that is personalized, increasing your experience and productivity.
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Palette interface in hardwood.
I wanted to pursue the idea further, and knew that it wasn't as impossible as it sounds."
- Calvin Chu, Co-founder & CEO, Palette
Calvin took full advantage of the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ's entrepreneurship resources;Ìýhe was a student inÌýBET 300Ìýat the Conrad Centre and participated in the . Calvin attributes much of his success to the entrepreneurship community at À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ and to working withÌýDr. Wayne Chang, who coached him through one-on-one meetings and helped him build his network.
As Palette continued to grow, Calvin and fellow MechatronicsÌýgraduate Ashish BidadiÌýmoved to San Francisco to further pursue their company. Calvin and AshishÌýshare a passion for industrialÌýdesign and human-machine interaction; in their roles with Palette, Calvin is responsible for the mechanical design and electronics while AshishÌýis focused onÌýsoftware and theÌýwebsite.
Above, right:ÌýCalvin Chu and Ashish Bidadi, co-founders of Palette.
Palette's development timeline laid out in parts.
In the spring of 2013, the team applied to the prestigious Ìý(pronouncedÌý"hack-ccelerator"); Calvin and Ashish were the only Canadian startup of the 10 selected from the many applicants located around the world. The hardware accelerator program took the young À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Engineering alumni to Shenzen, China, the heart of electronics manufacturing, where they have been able to test various components of their products and establish relationships with manufacturers and suppliers.
JustÌýlast week, Palette completed an extremely successful , raising over $150,000 and exceeding both of their stretch goals. To see what all of the excitement is about, check out Palette'sÌý.ÌýThe first Palette Kits will ship later this year.
Hannah Furlong is an Environment and Business studentÌýat the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, currently on a co-op term as the Communications and Marketing Assistant at theÌýConrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre.