Palette

What Palette does

Palette is a Melbourne-based hardware company that designs and manufactures precision color measurement devices and accompanying software services. Founded in 2013 by Djordje Dikic and Paul Peng, the company sells two core hardware products—Pico, a portable paint-matching device for consumers, renovators, and painting professionals, and Cube, a portable color digitizer for graphic and visual designers—supported by companion iOS and Android applications. The hardware is built around proprietary technology including the Color Engine 2 chip, high dynamic range micro color sensors, tri-stimulus flood illuminators, an integrated light baffle, and automatic temperature control, achieving inter-instrument repeatability of less than 1.0 ΔE, 95% first-match accuracy across 5,000+ colors, and 0.75-second sampling speed. An open SDK for iOS, Mac, Android, and Windows plus direct Adobe Photoshop integration via Cube Link position the hardware as a platform for creative-tool workflows.

The business model centers on one-time hardware sales of Pico and Cube, supplemented by recurring software revenue: access to the Official PANTONE® FHI Color Collection (offered via a 14-day freemium trial followed by paid subscription), the quote-based Palette Data analytics platform for paint manufacturers and retailers, and a forthcoming paint eCommerce platform that signals a planned move into transaction-fee revenue. Distribution operates through Palette's own e-commerce storefront, global online marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Newegg), specialty retailers (B&H Photo, Brookstone, Wacom stores), and authorized regional distributors across 35+ countries spanning Australia, Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Africa. Customer segments are horizontal—DIY home renovators, graphic and visual designers, professional painters, and B2B paint brands—addressed through a product-led growth motion anchored by self-serve e-commerce and free trials.

Palette is privately held and operates as Palette Operations Pty. Ltd. and Palette Pty Ltd, headquartered at 49 Argyle Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne. The only disclosed institutional capital is a $1.0 million round from Saniel Ventures in February 2015 and participation in the Melbourne Accelerator Program in 2013; no venture or private equity backing has been announced since. The company has signaled platform ambitions through the Pico SDK, Photoshop integration, the registered PicoAR™ trademark, and the Palette Data platform, suggesting a long-term strategy to evolve from a single-device hardware vendor into a multi-surface color ecosystem serving both consumers and enterprise customers.

Name

Palette

Legal name

Palette Operations Pty. Ltd.

Website

https://palette.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Palette is a Melbourne-based hardware company that designs precision color measurement devices—Pico for paint matching and Cube for design color digitization—supported by mobile apps, data analytics, and a forthcoming paint eCommerce platform serving consumers, designers, and trade professionals globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Color Measurement Hardware

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861)

akta.pro primary industry

Color Matching, Tinting & Colorant Systems (IMAEAHAL)

Keywords

• Color measurement devices
• Paint matching hardware
• Color digitization tools
• Augmented reality visualization
• Color analytics platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of proprietary color measurement devices including Pico (portable paint matching device) and Cube (portable color digitizer for designers). One-time hardware purchase with companion apps included.
2. Palette Data Platform: Subscription-based data analytics platform providing insights on color trends from global user base. Offers reporting on color, user type, location, and frequency with configurable parameters.
3. Palette eCommerce Platform: Upcoming eCommerce platform for paint, enabling purchase of paint products directly through the Palette ecosystem.
4. PANTONE® Collection Access: Access to Official PANTONE® FHI Color Collection available for Pico and Cube devices, monetized through the 14-day free trial followed by paid subscription.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Palette designs, manufactures and sells proprietary color measurement hardware devices — the Pico smart paint matching device for consumers and the Cube portable color digitizer for designers — paired with iOS/Android companion apps, an augmented reality Color Visualizer (PicoAR), and a subscription-based Palette Data analytics platform for color trend insights.

Product overview

Palette is a collective of designers and engineers that develop hardware devices and software services for color measurement and visualization. The product portfolio centers on two hardware devices — Pico (a smart paint matching device for consumers) and Cube (a portable color digitizer for graphic designers) — supported by companion mobile apps for iOS and Android. Additional offerings include the Color Visualizer/PicoAR augmented reality visualization tool, the Palette Data color trend analytics platform, and an eCommerce platform for paint. All products are designed to dissolve barriers between real and digital color.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pico: World's first smart paint matching device - a portable color scanner for matching paint colors
• Cube
• Palette Data
• Palette eCommerce Platform
• PicoAR
• Color Visualizer

Products and services

• Pico The world's first smart paint matching device — a compact, portable color scanner that measures the color of any surface and matches it against 25+ paint brand collections including Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Behr, Farrow & Ball, and RAL with 95%+ first-match accuracy. Targeted at home renovators, DIY consumers and professional painters.
• Cube A portable color digitizer designed for graphic and visual designers that captures colors from real-world objects and digitizes them for use in digital design workflows, with direct integration into Adobe Photoshop via CUBE Link software.
• Color Visualizer (PicoAR) Augmented reality color visualization experience using PicoAR technology that allows users to virtually preview paint colors on walls, collaborate on color choices, measure floorplans, and connect to paint purchasing. Targeted at homeowners and interior designers.
• Palette Data Subscription-based data analytics platform providing color trend insights from Palette's global user base, including an interactive Colour Map for geographic trend exploration and custom reporting configurable by color, user type, location, and frequency. Targeted at paint manufacturers and retailers.
• Pico App Mobile companion app available on iOS App Store and Google Play that pairs with the Pico device via Bluetooth. Features color matching against 25+ paint brand collections, custom collections, color comparison, Projects for renovation tracking, and Photoshop integration.
• CUBE Companion App Mobile companion app for iOS and Android that pairs with the Cube portable color digitizer, enabling color scanning and management capabilities for graphic and visual design workflows.

Quantifiable outcome

• First match accuracy of 95% across 5,000+ colors
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PANTONE®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial PANTONE® FHI Color Collection made available on Pico and Cube devices. This partnership provides access to the industry-standard PANTONE color system, enhancing Palette's value proposition for professional color matching applications. Offered with 14-day free trial.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nix Sensor: Nix Sensor makes portable, Bluetooth-connected color sensors (Nix Mini, Nix Pro, Nix Spectro) for paint matching, design, and industrial color capture. Directly comparable to Palette's Pico and Cube as consumer/prosumer handheld color measurement hardware.
• Color Muse (Variable Inc.): Color Muse is a portable paint-matching sensor paired with a mobile app that maps scanned colors to major paint brand palettes. Direct competitor to Palette Pico in the consumer paint color matching category.
• Calibrite: Calibrite (formerly X-Rite's ColorChecker / i1Display product line for creatives) makes color calibration devices for photographers, videographers, and designers. Comparable to Palette's Cube as a color capture/calibration tool for the design and imaging professional segment.

Broad incumbents

• X-Rite (Danaher): X-Rite is the established global leader in professional color measurement instruments (i1Pro, ColorMunki, MA-series spectrophotometers). Palette cites the X-rite i1 as the reference benchmark for Pico accuracy, indicating direct positioning against X-Rite in the pro color market.
• Datacolor: Datacolor provides professional color measurement and management solutions (Spyder, CHECK, and industrial spectrophotometers) for design, photography, and industrial color workflows. Overlaps with Palette Cube in designer/photographer color calibration and with Palette Data in trend/quality color analytics.
• Adobe: Adobe's Creative Cloud suite (especially Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe Color) defines the color workflow Palette Cube integrates into via Cube Link. As the dominant design ecosystem, Adobe sets the standard against which Palette's integrations are evaluated.
• Sherwin-Williams: Sherwin-Williams operates one of the largest retail paint networks (ColorSnap Visualizer, ColorSnap Match) and is one of the paint brands whose color collections Palette Pico supports. Competes with Palette in the consumer paint color matching journey and controls shelf access for any paint eCommerce expansion.
• Benjamin Moore: Benjamin Moore is a major North American paint brand with its own color-matching app and store-based color-matching services. Comparable to Palette as a paint-ecosystem brand whose color collections are integrated into Palette's matching library.
• Behr (Masco): Behr is a large U.S. paint brand (sold at Home Depot) with proprietary color-matching tools and an extensive fan-deck library integrated into Palette Pico. Relevant as both a data source for Pico's matching library and as a potential competitor/integrator in the consumer paint journey.

Emerging players

• Canva: Canva is a mainstream design platform with built-in color palette tools and a large prosumer design user base. Comparable to Palette Cube as it competes for the workflow of designers seeking to capture, manage, and apply physical colors digitally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/palette
• Facebookfacebook.com/WeArePalette
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearepalette

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Palette