Self-Made Saturday 2: Shubham Banerjee

"There are more millionaires than ever in the United States.

As of the end of 2016, there were a record 10.8 million millionaires nationwide, according to a new study from Spectrem Group's Market Insights Report 2017. That's more than ever before and marks a 400,000 person increase from the previous year," (cnbc.com). 

While many people shun entrepreneurship due to the high risks and amount of work involved, that statistic shows that there is even more room in this generation for innovators, entrepreneurs, and doers. 

Today, we are going to look at one of the most incredible stories in the entrepreneurial world. Shubham Banerjee was only 13 years old when he conceptualized and created a brilliant invention; a braille printer composed of legos and computer parts. Shubham recognized that braille printers typically costed around $2,000, and saw a potential niche to create a similar product for a more reasonable price.

 While he originally created the "Braigo" printer as an entry for his school science fair project, Shubham was not satisfied after winning that. According to Neil Banerjee, Shubham's father: "He really wanted to take this product to the real people so they could benefit from it."

Shubham shared his design online after the science fair, as he wanted to help those who needed braille printers. After this parents of blind children began contacting Shubham to see if he could create a printer that they could buy.

Shubham produced a prototype of the Braigo using parts from a desktop printer and an Intel chip with wifi and bluetooth capabilities. He showed this design to Intel, and they were blown away. They decided that they would back Shubham's mission by granting him an undisclosed amount of capital.

After this, Shubham set up his own company known as Braigo Labs, which is an effort to mass produce the Braigo printer. He is still working on the braille printers, as he has begun working on the Braigo v2.0, which he says will include improved technology and capabilities from his original design. You can check out Braigo Labs website here. 

Shubham's incredible story is a perfect example of how a perceptive and driven individual can make an impact as an entrepreneur, regardless of their age. While Shubham was far from your average 13 year old, he followed the entrepreneurial blueprint of observing a product or service that could be improved on or does not yet exist, and filled that niche in the market. I know that most people, myself included, will never know how to design something as advanced as a braille printer, but if you are innovative and motivated than you can find a niche to fill.