Design for Startups Spring 2019

Over the course of 12 weeks, nine student designers will work directly with the technical and business leads of nine BC companies to explore and develop a new methodology for connecting design to Internet startups.

Student designers will consider existing design gaps, perform user interface/usability studies, and develop design strategies for the companies in residence.

Spring 2019 company-student partnerships are:

The 100 Mile is an online marketplace that provides top ‘local’ brands with an exclusive platform for selling their products to a targeted, international consumer base. For both small, high-end brands seeking international clientele, and savvy consumers searching for originality and authenticity in the products they purchase, we are the connector. The 100 Mile promotes brands and their stories, putting their product lines in front of customers they could not otherwise reach, and handles all financial transactions. The company makes a 20% commission on all sales without having to carry inventory or handle fulfillment.

Sabrina Lam will work with the 100 Mile.

A&K Robotics is a self-driving technology company. We want to enable people to get more out of life by automating movement and travel indoors, where we spend 87% of our time. Our Autonomous Indoor Mobility (AIM) platform has been tested and deployed across a diverse array of complex real-world environments from retail spaces, to universities, to major transport hubs and is trusted by global leaders in the transportation, education and facility services industries.

Michelle Yao will work with A&K Robotics.

CoPilot Advisor is a fast-growing, venture-backed SaaS/MarTech company based in Vancouver. We are on a 10-year mission to fundamentally change the way people connect with businesses. 3 billion people now live on social media, and yet, businesses and their sales teams are still largely operating on outdated tools like email and CRM. CoPilot’s A.I. platform offers businesses a single portal where they can interact with prospects and customers no matter which social media platform they’re on.

Amy Zhu will work with CoPilot Advisor.

Flow is an animation tool closing the production gap between design and development. With Flow, designs can be instantly animated and accurately translated into ready-to-use code, preserving the vision of the Designer while streamlining the workflow of the Developer.

Jonathan Yaputra will work with Flow.

iaconicDesign is a team of product design specialists seamlessly blending the art of design with the science of engineering to create beautiful products customers love. Helping clients in the consumer electronics and clean-tech industries bring their product ideas to life through outsourced product design, prototyping and engineering consulting services as well as developing in-house smart home product solutions under the “Modena Smart Home” and “EVE Switches” brands.

Greyson Kelly will work with iaconicDesign.

Keela is a BCorp and social enterprise on a mission to transform how nonprofits work. They’ve built a suite of software tools that teams at the YWCA, United Nation Association of Canada, and the Global Centre for Pluralism use to raise more money, work together more effectively, and ultimately take their donor dollars further.

Triet Pham will work with Keela.

TaxWerx is driven by the desire to make taxes less stressful, more convenient (and maybe even a little bit fun!), so that you have more time and energy to spend doing whatever it is you’d rather be doing. In other words, we do what we do, so that you can better do what you do, whether that’s family time, hobbies, business, gaming, the arts, etc.. We offer a convenient, fully-digital interaction, but provide personal, individualized service and advice to each client.

Janani Ramesh will work with TaxWerx.

ThisFish is a leader in seafood traceability software that improves business efficiency and increases trust and transparency in seafood supply chains. Our mission is to improve the social, environmental, and financial sustainability of seafood enterprises.

Nathalie Pan will work with ThisFish.

WealthBar is an online platform that delivers premium investing to everyday Canadians for 1/3 the fees. By leveraging technology to provide efficiencies and 5 star service, WealthBar is democratizing investing for everyday Canadians. We offer a range of professionally managed and diversified portfolios designs to suit every type of investor. We also provide unlimited financial advice through a Certified Financial Planner included in our fees. Through digital innovation, unlimited financial advice and diversified portfolios, we help our clients build the brightest financial future possible. 

Katherine Zhang will work with WealthBar.

Whatifi.io is a central hub for personal planning and decision making. Visually map out financial and life choices and connect with tools to help facilitate those big decisions.

Elicia Han will work with WhatifI.io.

This project is supported by Innovate BC.