Global entrepreneurs: the Waterloo-China connection

Calvin Chu and Ashish Bidadi built the first prototype for their startup Palette in the machine shop at the University of Waterloo. Within months, the team was in China at HAXLR8R, one of the world’s top hardware startup incubators.

“We learned a lot about manufacturing, prototyping and electronics in Shenzhen,” says Chu, Palette co-founder. “It’s a great spot for electronics and makers.  Some people call it the electronics capital of the world. There are so many suppliers and inventors.”

Now, almost a year after graduating from Waterloo’s mechanical and mechatronics engineering program, Chu says, while Palette is based in Waterloo Region, it has become a true global business.

From Waterloo to Silicon Valley and China

“We want to build our team here because we want to be close to the talent coming out of the University of Waterloo,” says Chu. “But business is global. We know we’ll be flying back to China for manufacturing. We know we’ll be heading back to Silicon Valley for meetings about venture capital.”

After getting support through HAXLR8R last year, the Palette team returned to San Francisco where they launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $150,000.

Customizable interface that connects like Lego

Chu, who has already been back to China twice this year, is preparing to ship its first orders to more than 900 Kickstarter backers. The Palette team has developed a customizable hardware interface of dials, sliders and buttons that connect together like Lego. The product is ideal for people who work with music, graphic design, photos and videos.

“People do so much work on their computers but their main way of interaction is keyboard and mouse.,” says Chu. “Having a customized tool that fits them has benefits on productivity, comfort and ergonomics.”

See how Palette works:

In China, the Palette team has access to the world’s largest factory ecosystem and electronics market. Chu says: “Imagine city blocks with buildings, and each floor has booths with vendors selling buttons, knobs, sliders and LED lights.”

Chu said the markets in Shenzhen, China were like a “candy store of cool stuff.”

Hardware will be manufactured in China

The hardware components of the Palette interface will be manufactured in China while the software will continue to be developed locally.  The Palette team will be among the first entrepreneurs to join the University of Waterloo’s new Foundry program, an incubator specifically for hardware startups.

Chu says it’s hard to believe he graduated from Waterloo less than a year ago. It’s been a wild adventure but, despite the long hours and challenges he wouldn’t change a thing. “Entrepreneurship makes sense for me. I want to work on cool projects for the rest of my life.”