One of the biggest tech companies is getting behind one of the youngest tech entrepreneurs.
Microsoft has partnered with Santa Clara eighth-grader Shubham Banerjee to help the teenager build the next generation of his Braille printer on the Windows operating system, a significant technological upgrade from the Lego set used to built the prototype in late 2013.
Microsoft last week announced that the 2.0 version of Shubham s invention, a lightweight and cheaper Braille printer named Braigo, would be developed and brought to market using Windows and the Surface Pro 3, the company s tablet. The partnership gives Shubham, the youngest entrepreneur ever to get venture-capital funding, a higher profile as he — and his parents — work to grow the company started at the family kitchen table.
Shubham, 13, already has a close relationship with Intel. The company s venture capital arm last year invested seed funding — although it declined to disclose the amount — and the Braille printer includes software that Shubham created using Intel s new Edison chip. Shubham s dad, Neil Banerjee, works for Intel.
Shubham created Braigo Labs last year in an effort to come up with a cheaper, more accessible Braille embosser. He had been shocked when he discovered the traditionally large, bulky machines often cost several thousands of dollars. Braigo Labs has since morphed from a science fair project made of Legos into a high-tech family-run startup. Mom Malini Banerjee is the president and CEO, and dad Neil is on the board of directors and also serves as Shubham s PR manager and chauffeur and chaperone to Braigo events, interviews and business meetings. Shubham has his own website and, in between playing football with the neighborhood kids, gives keynote speeches and media interviews.
The first Braigo cost $350, and Shubham made DIY instructions available online to anyone who wants to build their own. The subsequent iteration developed on Windows has been called the first low-cost, IoT-enabled, silent and lightweight Braille printer.
Photo of Shubham Banerjee, courtesy Braigo Labs.
