About Beacon Street Innovations
From an MIT thesis to a product
Our vision started with a thesis project while our founders were undergraduates at MIT. That work became an innovative solution for displaying refreshable Braille — and it's the foundation we've built our multi-line displays on ever since.
We are an innovative Braille company looking to transform how Braille is displayed for the sight impaired community: better access to digital media, at a price that doesn't put the technology out of reach.
A refreshable Braille display in everyday use.
Why it matters
Key elements that drive our mission
of blind adults are chronically unemployed. Our goal is building products that let them pursue their passions.
mass-market multi-line displays exist presently — we're building the first affordable one.
cells per line, because multi-line displays create better access than single-line displays ever could.
Backed by NSF research
Our successful Braille cell development was partially funded by a National Science Foundation grant — support that helped take our cell technology from a student project to a manufacturable component.
Meet the team behind it
Who we are
Meet the team
Doug Cohen
CEODoug has over 20 years of experience in manufacturing equipment, product design, global sourcing, and logistics. A graduate of MIT in mechanical engineering, he has experience as both an owner and investor in startups, and holds a number of technology patents.
Thor Hendrickson
CTOThor has over 20 years of experience in design and product development. A graduate of MIT in mechanical engineering, he has 10+ years of experience as a consultant and holds a number of technology patents.
Bruce Renard
CIOBruce is a recently retired software/electrical engineer who has spent 35+ years in software and hardware development.
René Mascorro
Embedded Systems EngineerRené is an embedded-systems and software engineer with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in diagnosing and debugging low-level hardware and firmware, working primarily in Python and Rust.
Curious how it all comes together?
See the products this mission has produced, or reach out with questions.