The 2018 competition took place on October 3rd, 2018 during the Hollywood Entertainment Technology Festival at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. Finalists competed for cash prize and a trip to Foshan, China to meet with manufacturers to turn their designs into reality. They were also given the opportunity to compete in the Xingshi Cup Finals in China.
$15,000
1ST PRIZE
+ TRIP TO FOSHAN, CHINA
$8,000
2ND PRIZE
+ TRIP TO FOSHAN, CHINA
$4,000
3RD PRIZE
+ TRIP TO FOSHAN, CHINA
Sandro Klein
EXPERIENCE DESIGN CENTER SITE LEADER, CARLSBAD, THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC
A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design with over 25 years of design experience, Sandro Klein’s expertise is in integrating design thinking with overall corporate development and marketing strategy in businesses ranging from Fortune 500 to startup. Klein served as a product designer for Linksys and Universal Electronics before joining Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2012. His focus on consumer satisfaction as well as inventive design has built a resume of work that drives market share and revenue growth.
Adam Mefford
Founder, Currency
Adam Mefford, an entrepreneur and product designer, graduated in 2009 from Art Center College of Design with a degree in Product Design. In 2005 he attended the TED conference in Monterey California and was inspired to start a gathering with similar values in Southern California, which he called Mindshare LA. Drawing on these experiences Adam envisioned the combination of a business conference and a social network, which became the beginnings of Currency.
Ari Turgel
Director, Industrial and Interaction Design, Whipsaw Design
Ari thrives on the opportunity to create a better user experience, deeper product immersion, perfect human factors, and ultimately an enhanced livelihood for the end user. His specialties are medical and entertainment system design where foolproof usability and highly effective communication are a must.
Frank Tyneski
Founder, Cinder House Studios
Frank Tyneski is a highly respected, award-winning designer with vast experience in designing innovative products and end-user experiences. Building upon his first design roles at Fischer-Price and General Motors, Frank has been bringing ‘category-creating’ products to market for major brands, including Dell, Kyocera, Motorola and BlackBerry.
Wesley Woelfel
Associate Professor of Design, California State University, Long Beach
Associate Professor Wesley Woelfel is faculty in the Industrial Design program at California State University, Long Beach where he specializes in design methodology. His international professional experience spans many design disciplines from product, to display and exhibition, environments, thematic and game design.
