An EV startup electrifying classic Bugattis.
Vatio is reimagining classic Bugattis as electric vehicles, retrofitting Tesla battery systems into the original chassis. In collaboration with Neal Chapman, formerly Technical Project Lead at SpaceX and VP of Engineering at Scythe Robotics, I led brand identity and advisory across Vatio's earliest stages, with hands-on time alongside the team bringing the first prototype online. The work included a full brand system and investor deck to support the company's funding journey.
- Creative Direction
- Brand Identity
- Hardware Prototyping
- Systems Testing
- Advisory
- Product Design
I collaborated with Neal Chapman, formerly Technical Project Lead at SpaceX and VP of Engineering at Scythe Robotics, on Vatio's earliest stages. Beyond the brand identity and investor deck, I worked with the team on the build itself, including the initialization of the Tesla battery pack and the early system tests that brought the first car to life. A rare chance to learn firsthand from one of the people building the next era of robotics.
The first Bugatti was outfitted with a Tesla battery pack, integrated into the original chassis. Bringing the car to life meant initializing the battery together as a team and running a sequence of tests to activate each function in turn: wheels moving, steering tracking, soldered connections holding, the steel harness customized to fit. Slow, methodical work, done shoulder to shoulder.
Vatio was a chance to work at the intersection of brand and physical product, alongside one of the people actively building the next era of robotics. Categories shift when someone arrives with a different point of view about what they're for. At that stage, brand isn't decoration. It's the act of naming what's being built before the world has language for it yet. Early-stage work, with a long road ahead.