Ivan Sharko
Ivan Sharko
Ivan Sharko

Ivan Sharko made news for his final project in the Graphic Design program in 2011, by exploring the intersections of art, technology and culture with “The Boring Gallery,” a series of digital paintings created from complaints, kvetches and banality on Twitter. Now he’s making business headlines for his start-up company, Sherpa.

Sharko is the Chief Product Officer for Sherpa, which he describes as “the easiest way to get a travel visa.” Sherpa’s IOS and Android applications help explain and simplify the process of applying for a travel visa, to help customers save time. The company also offers business solutions and provides consumer information about vaccination and passport requirements.

“Right now we’re focused on bringing great design into the border crossing experience, and eventually we want to replace passports altogether,” Sharko says.

Design has always been important to Sharko. “Graphic design was a passion of mine from a young age,” he says. “OCAD U seemed like the obvious school to attend and advance my skills, meet exceptional like-minded people and learn from the best.”

At Sherpa, Sharko drives product development, establishes strategic goals and leads product design. “Design is one of the cornerstones of Sherpa,” he says. “Carefully crafted user experience, visual design and branding are huge differentiators for our product, and this commitment to design is valued and praised by our customers. We employ design thinking as part of our product development cycle to continuously improve our products.”

 

In 2016 the company also joined OCAD U’s Imagination Catalyst start-up incubator, a community Sharko credits for Sherpa’s recent growth: “We’ve had the opportunity to work alongside very talented and driven peers, and we constantly push each other to achieve better results. We’re also exposed to a vast network of brilliant mentors, investors and partners via the Imagination Catalyst’s community, which is extremely important for a company at an early stage.”

As he continues to build his company, Sharko looks forward to sharing his experience with students. “Toronto is a very vibrant city for young designers, with many opportunities to shine. Graduating can be intimidating, as there’s no single carved out path for a designer. So if creatives are keen to learn about the start-up world and experience-driven design, I would be happy to chat with them.”

Find out more: joinsherpa.com

Template: 
Inline Image Template
Keywords: