Matthew Sheridan to receive Ernest C. Manning Foundation Award of Distinction

Matthew (founder)

Is that mauve, magenta or maroon? Matthew Sheridan poses with the Nix Color Sensor, a ping pong ball-sized device that can accurately measure the colour of any object instantly. The McMaster engineering grad is the 2015 recipient of the Ernest C. Manning Foundation Award of Distinction. He will receive a $25,000 prize Oct. 2. at the Foundation’s 34th Innovation Awards Gala. 


McMaster engineering alumnus Matthew Sheridan is this year’s recipient of the 2015 Ernest C. Manning Foundation Award of Distinction.

Sheridan, founder of Hamilton-based startup Nix Sensor Ltd., earned the award for creating and successfully commercializing the Nix Color Sensor.

He will receive a $25,000 prize at the Foundation’s 34th Innovation Awards Gala in Saskatoon on Friday, Oct. 2.

The Nix Color Sensor is small ping pong ball-sized device that can accurately measure the colour of any object instantly — making colour management easier and more cost-effective across a range of industries, including food production, textiles, cosmetics, commercial paints and graphic design.

Sheridan, a graduate from the Class of 2012, first came up with the idea for Nix that same year after watching friends in the interior design industry hauling around heavy, expensive paint decks.

He was also inspired by another colleague who was trying to create custom-matched makeup for people with severe burns and skin disorders.

Fellow alumnus Zachary Strong has been a key partner since the project’s earliest days. He’s currently serving as director of business development for Nix Sensor Ltd. Other McMaster collaborators include engineering alumni James Strack and Michael Bot. All three are past leaders of the McMaster Solar Car Team.

READ: Mac alumni returning to campus to discuss Nix Color Sensor

Sheridan worked on early prototypes with support from the Hamilton-based Innovation Factory and funding from a Kickstarter campaign that raised $70,000. The result was the world’s first hand-held colour sensor, designed to be a smartphone accessory.

Using Bluetooth low-energy technology, it can scan surfaces to quickly get a colour reading, save colours for future reference or sharing, test colour quality by comparing scanned colours to known values, and convert between any colour system in the world.

“Traditional methods of colour measurement, such as paint chips and fan decks, are incredibly inaccurate due to varying light conditions and human error. Every colour measurement solution in the consumer market today is difficult to transport, inaccurate, and costs thousands of dollars. Nix is smaller, more economical and user-friendly,” says Sheridan.

To date, Nix Sensor Ltd. has sold more than 1,000 units to colour professionals in 31 countries.

Sheridan says receiving the Manning Award for Nix not only validates his work but represents a win for the entire community which supported its development.

“We’ve been offered opportunities to move to California and other places but we are energized and inspired by the incredible amount of talent in Hamilton, and organizations like Innovation Factory,” says Sheridan.

Without them, we wouldn’t be here today. We’ve spent a lot of time figuring out a viable way to manufacture Nix in Hamilton. We are proud to say that we are producing the highest quality product right here.”

The David E. Mitchell Award of Distinction is one of several prizes the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation gives annually to talented Canadian innovators who are improving the lives of Canadians and others worldwide through their commercialized innovations.

“The Foundation is helping to build a culture of innovation by recognizing Canadian innovators,” says president Jennifer Diakiw.

“Our awards reward innovators for the value they are adding to our provincial and national economies by creating jobs and wealth, and positioning our country as a global competitor. We consider them Canada’s most valuable resource.”