Wentao Kuang

I’m the MD & cofounder of Kosnic; an engineer who loves to discover and solve problems. I’m also a robotics researcher, Telecom Chipset developer, entrepreneur, product designer and inventor. Here’s how that helps you: Like many, my idol is Steve Jobs. I believe his products changed the world, and I want the products I create to do the same – or at least make a significant difference to it. In one of the articles of Steve Vassallo about Mr. jobs, he wrote: “Designing products is the privilege of getting to live and dream in a future state. It’s the license to take risks in the attempt to will that future state into reality.” This is what I want to achieve with Kosnic. Kosnic is one of the UK’s leading lighting wholesalers, with a catalogue of over 1 000 lighting products for commercial, industrial, and residential use. Behind that though, is the story of a 19-year-old aspiring animation artist who was offered the rare opportunity to leave China and complete his degree in electronics and electrical engineering in the UK. I later went on to study for a PhD in Robotics. In 2002, my wife, Ying, and I founded Kosnic. The K-shaped butterfly logo you see today evolved from the one I scribbled down with a ballpoint pen all those years ago. The butterfly is symbolic for two reasons: 1. Diversity: No two butterflies are the same, yet they are all beautiful. In the same way, success cannot be copied (although it may be inspired). We all need to find our own success in our own way. 2. Self-belief: Every caterpillar can become a butterfly, but being successful is not just reaching the top of the pyramid – it’s simply becoming the best we can be. Success is a journey to be proud of. Our logo is not the only thing that’s evolved – our company has too. Ten years ago, in the early days of LED lighting, we were asked to make an emergency module for an LED conversion tray. I wondered if we could make it as a plug-in designed to fit into a simple socket on the LED board. My electronics design engineer said yes, and our Plug-in Emergency module was born.. Since then, we’ve created many new products with modular designs in mind. Piece by piece we’re creating an ever-evolving ecosystem of modular lighting products. I’m proud to say that our employees are evolving along with our company. A core part of the Kosnic ethos is the belief that when you give your people the chance to learn and develop, you encourage them to become the best they can be. As you can see, I’m a true believer in evolution, and this is actually why our product catalogue is called EVOLVE.