Join us in our conversation series where our SF Chapter Chair Basak Altan will be hosting informal interview discussions with Bay Area Designers and thought leaders with diverse perspectives. In this session, we will be discussing Urgent Design in the time of Covid with with our guests Dominc Peralta, Founder of Stellar Design, and Nishat Rustagi CEO and Founder of Make. After each 30-40 min. interview there will be a moderated Q&A session.
GUEST: NISHAT RUSTAGI
Nishat is the founder & CEO of Make (makerstage.com), a digital manufacturing platform company in San Francisco. At Make, we’re building a digital manufacturing platform that sits on top of a decentralized network of the latest industrial 3D printers, CNC, and injection molding machines across America, to track the entire workflow for engineers, give instant price quotes, and unparalleled speed in the manufacturing/delivery of parts. Make’s customers include Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft and mid-market startups in the consumer electronics and IoT/robotics segment. He’s been active in the 3D printing space for over five years.
Until recently, Nishat was a project leader at the COVID19 response innovation lab at Stanford University, where he helped grow the response lab from just 30 to over 350. Nishat’s team mobilized its network of 3D printers to print face shields for nonprofits. Nishat also consulted pro-bono with various groups in the Stanford lab and outside for design and manufacturing PPE such as face masks, and crucial medical devices such as ventilators, and O2 concentrators when they were in critical need. Nishat has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of California, San Diego.
GUEST: DOMINIC PERALTA
Dominic Peralta is the founder of Stellar Design LLC, a San Francisco Bay Area industrial design studio that strives to create lasting and meaningful work. Prior to founding Stellar, Dominic was a Senior Lead Industrial Designer for Speck. Developed product lines while working for Kensington, and spent time with NewDealDesign and Smart Design.
As an Industrial Designer, Dominic is always looking to create the best and brightest design possible. He has a fascination with making objects and ideas real. Craftsmanship and continuity play an important role in his process, always looking for advanced tools to push the boundaries of design. A rich sense of historical and philosophical value that crosses boundaries, intertwining depth and meaning into his work. Focus and a preoccupation with solving problems, helps Dominic take steps beyond a drawing or discussion. Manufactured objects testify a lot about who made them and why. Through a distillation process, concentration and persistance, I strive to create lasting and meaningful work.
MODERATOR: BASAK ALTAN
Başak Altan is a Design Strategist, Design Educator, Future Thinker & Connector. She helps her clients reimagine an inspiring future for their organizations through design. As a future thinker and connector, she provides expertise in discovering how the human story of her clients’ innovations connect to technology, environment and future business models. For over 20 years she has been providing leadership on design and strategy services in the intersection of business, technology and education. The teams she helped innovate new ideas and processes to transition to a circular economy have consistently received international awards, and recognition on sustainability and social impact achievement. She is the Chair for Industrial Designers Society of America, San Francisco Chapter.
