Matthew Sheridan wants to change the way we see the world — literally.

On the fourth floor of the McMaster Industrial Park, the 26-year-old nominee for Ontario's young entrepreneur award is busy leading a team of seven engineers in designing, programming, marketing and assembling the latest Nix Sensor — a smartphone accessory that lets users precisely measure colour in seconds.

Marketed as the "tape measure for colour," the diamond-shaped, palm-sized device sends data on the colour of any object to your smartphone. It can convert the scanned data into almost any colour scale, from CMYK to your favourite brand of paint, and even provide quick colour swatch suggestions to help you mix and match.

"A contractor wouldn't just grab a two-by-four, stare at it and suddenly decide to cut — he would use a tape measure," said Sheridan, adding that the Nix frees up designers so they can focus on other things.

Sheridan explains that getting an exact colour match using a paint chip, for example, is difficult with variables such as lighting conditions along with the human eye's inherent limitations. He describes his $349 device as the middle ground between a paint chip and $10,000 lab equipment for scientists — an important niche that has his team scrambling to fill orders.

The idea is not entirely novel, said Zachary Strong, director of business development at Nix Sensor and a fellow Mac engineering grad.

Strong says the success of Nix has been in the engineering of technology to make it more accurate and cheaper, and he says it's more user friendly than similar devices on the market.

As much as the Nix was geared to designers, says Strong, a surprising number of orders have come from large industries needing custom software tweaks for specific applications. That includes makeup artists, furniture and automotive repairs, and even salmon-quality technicians who used to rely on colour cards to rate the pinkness of the meat.

Less than a year ago, both Sheridan and Strong were working out of a two-bedroom apartment in Hess Village. The living room served as the office and one of the bedrooms was the lab. At that point, they were the only full-timers.

"You would wake up at 2 a.m., walk out in your boxer shorts, and inevitably find someone still working away," recalled Sheridan.

The company was formed in 2013, and they spent their fair share of time wading through the misery of startup culture. Strong, who got involved after being captivated by Sheridan's Kickstarter campaign, still had a second full-time job when the company launched its Nix Pro series in February.

This year, they secured a second round of investment, enabling them to start hiring more full-time employees in May, and finally rent an office at MIP in July.

Interests from abroad have tried to lure them away from their roots.

"We've had offers to move to California, offers to move to Waterloo, but we really thought our best chance to succeed was to stay here and use these resources," said Sheridan. "Every single one of our boxes proudly displays 'Made in Hamilton, Ontario.'"

Strong, whose father worked at Dofasco for 41 years, was excited to see an outsider like Sheridan recognize the potential of this city.

Sheridan, a Brockville, Ont. native,

credits resources like the Innovation Factory, which opened his eyes to the wide variety of industrial capabilities in the city.

"The media has maybe started picking up on it," he said of the city's growing reputation as an incubator for tech startups, "but I don't think it's a big stretch from what Hamilton has always done.

"Hamilton is a place where you can get things made."

The device is high tech, but Sheridan says he still needs low-tech material, distributing and financing to get the product out the door.

"You need screws, you need packaging, you need the classic industries, and you need people that have hands-on skills, and I don't think you can find a better place than Hamilton for that.

"It's an ecosystem where everyone is helping each other out."

Though the company imports some parts from abroad, every sensor for the Nix is made in Hamilton. It keeps a close eye on all of its patents and software — making sure that none of the company's intellectual property is replicated elsewhere.

Innovation Factory executive director David Carter, who mentored Sheridan when he came to IF, said the company has more than exceeded expectations.

"They've already found customers abroad, and they've found major industry partners," said Carter, who attributes much of Nix Sensors' success to a coachable attitude from Sheridan, and a willingness to adapt and sell to what the market needs.

Carter expects the company to ramp up sales in 2016, and either look for another large investment round or even merge with a major company. More importantly, says Carter, he feels the group is committed to making sure Hamilton is a big part of their success.

"The time is right for Hamilton," said Carter, referencing a supportive business community, advanced academic institutions, and a low cost of living compared to other startup havens. "You don't have to go to Toronto; you have partners to succeed and grow right here."

Sheridan hopes that one day his company will become a staple of the city's industry, perhaps with 50 to 100 employees. He says increasing its size would allow his team to work on some of the creative projects they've had to sideline in order to focus on maximizing sales and output.

They are focused on launching a new product this winter, tailored to the needs of designers.

jophardt@thespec.com

905-526-3408