Catalyst Project

Why a masterclass?

Imagine graduating high school having already patented a new idea, invented a new product or even launched a new business.  With the advances in technology all around us – tools like rapid prototyping, crowd funding and, of course, artificial intelligence, these possibilities are within reach with the right know-how. 

And that’s why we’ve created this masterclass. 

This masterclass is more than a visit to your high school fab lab or intro to design thinking – though it is a wonderful complement to any other creative thinking or maker activities you’ve been involved with. Our difference is that we believe that creative action in concert with critical thinking is what’s needed next.

We are building an experience for you that will serve you in a future where technology will give you extreme faculty in executing ideas – but where your creativity, decision making, entrepreneurship and your ability to define the right questions will be your differentiating superpower.

This masterclass will serve as an exclusive springboard to your college admissions, university experience and beyond.

What you’ll learn

You will build your muscles in creative problem solving, exploration, and expression. By choosing a Catalyst Project, you’ll experience a hands-on process with me and a team of seasoned experts that will show you what it means to uncover unmet human needs, distill them into problem statements, and create prototype solutions to meet those needs, beautifully.

The masters

This masterclass is led by John Edson, a 30-year veteran of design and business, both in academic and commercial settings.

On the education side, John studied and taught at Stanford University where he helped a generation of students learn the methods that are the foundation of this masterclass. On the commercial side, John’s firm LUNAR was responsible for designing hundreds of winning products for companies like Apple, HP, Oral-B, ecobee and Illumina.

In 2015 the original management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, bought LUNAR, and John was a partner there for four years learning what it means to align design outcomes with business objectives to help improve the businesses he served. 

John is augmenting his experience as a designer, author, and educator with a team of seasoned experts in their own right – leaders in design, business, innovation and technical development – as well as advisors in the cutting edge of eduction.

The showcase

Ultimately, you’ll build a showcase that demonstrates your initiative, leadership and, of course, your creativity. You’ll have the tools to tell your story – how you discovered an unmet need, searched for solutions to meet that need and then developed that solution into a working prototype, provisional patent, or the foundation for a new business.