As HOZO DESIGN celebrates its 7th anniversary, we reflect not only on our milestones, but also on the journey from a single graduation project to a globally recognized innovation brand. This is a story of creativity, resilience, and the power of community.
From Graduation Project to Entrepreneurial Leap
HOZO DESIGN was officially founded in 2021, but its roots go back to 2018. The brand's first product was originally a graduation project by our Design Director, Peter Liang, a graduate of the Industrial Design program at Rochester Institute of Technology. On the day of his graduation, Liang launched the project on Kickstarter, staying up all night answering backers’ questions by himself. To his surprise, over 300 units sold on the first night, generating more than $20,000. For me at the time, that was an incredible sum. I was hooked. This was the start of everything.
That product was ROLLOVA, a compact digital rolling ruler that redefined measurement tools. It paved the way for HOZO DESIGN’s mission: to make tools smarter, sleeker, and more intuitive. Since then, we've launched five successful products through Kickstarter, raising over $1.4M USD in total. Each campaign pushed us to improve our design, production, and marketing capabilities.
From Crowdfunding to Co-Creation
From Backers, for Backers.
Crowdfunding is more than just financing—it’s about trust, dialogue, and innovation. While overseas platforms don't mandate delivery, users ("Backers") invest their money in ideas they believe in. As Peter Liang, says, "Backers are taking a risk because they trust in your innovation. When you deliver on that trust, the bond between user and brand grows deeper."
We’ve had countless unforgettable moments with our community. One night at 1 a.m., an senior engineer who had tested our NeoRuler stayed on a call until 3 a.m., sharing detailed suggestions from his notebook. He had once worked for NASA and collected over 300 rulers. That level of dedication is humbling and inspiring.
Since 2021, we've maintained a Facebook community of nearly 1,000 members. Before developing a new product, we engage this community through surveys and one-on-one interviews. At this early stage, we offer only a basic idea—"we’re designing a new kind of ruler"—and ask for feedback on their real-world needs and frustrations. We then refine the product based on this raw, unbiased input. Each product starts as an idea, but it’s through back-and-forth iteration with users that it truly takes shape.
This is why we say every product is "from Backers, for Backers."
Our vision doesn’t stop at measurement.
From “The Future of Measure” to “Tools for Evolved Makers“
Over the past seven years, HOZO Design has developed six innovative smart measurement tools, co-created with users through our Design with HOZO initiative. These products have successfully addressed measurement needs across diverse scenarios—from desktop studios to dynamic field sites—earning HOZO a reputation as a “measurement expert” among creators and professionals.
But our vision doesn’t stop at measurement.
Through countless user interviews and collaborative development processes, we’ve uncovered broader unmet needs—pain points that extend beyond measurement itself. These include overlooked design details, evolving usage behaviors, and frustrations with existing tools that simply weren’t built for the modern maker. Many of today’s tools are designed to meet only basic functions, without fully considering the creative journey or the evolving expectations of users.
This realization has sparked a new direction for HOZO Design.
We are expanding our product vision under a new philosophy:
“Tools for Evolved Makers.”
“Evolved Maker” is not just a reflection of HOZO—it’s a tribute to our users. It represents anyone who strives to move beyond being just a tool user, and instead become a creative driver, shaping outcomes through mastery and innovation.
With this shift, our mission is clear:
To redefine professional creative tools through cross-disciplinary innovation.
To rethink and reinvent the tools that empower modern creators.
From this point forward, any product that touches the workflow of an evolved maker—any tool that currently falls short of user expectations—has the potential to become part of HOZO’s future. We will continue to invite our community to co-create with us through Design with HOZO, launching new projects that speak directly to unmet needs, and crafting tools that empower creators, designers, engineers, and dreamers alike.
HOZO’s journey is no longer just about measurement.
It’s about building the next generation of creative tools—for those who build the future.
