Voltera, a startup founded by mechatronics engineering graduates, took first place and a $50,000 cash prize during TechCrunch’s Hardware Battlefield competition at the 2015 International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.
![Voltera founders holding up cheque for $50,000 cash prize](/engineering/sites/default/files/uploads/images/voltera_win.png)
Photos courtesy of TechCrunch
Founders, James Pickard, Jesus Zozaya and Alroy Almeida were awarded the top spot among 15 hardware startups. The company’s V-One circuit printer, a rapid prototyping printer that creates custom circuit boards in minutes, stole the show and won the judge’s favour. Currently working out of the Velocity Foundry, Voltera, hopes to solve a common problem faced by hardware developers – the costly and lengthy process of creating prototypes.
![V-One circuit board printer](/engineering/sites/default/files/uploads/images/voltera2.jpg)
The judging panel included big names in the world of hardware technology like Fitbit CEO, James Park, and former CEO of Beats By Dre, Susan Paley.