From Idea to Victory: How Vizop Won Dragon's Chamber 2024

In late 2023, I met Dr. Peter Clarke in Taipei. He had been living in Hong Kong for over a decade, and as someone from Hong Kong myself, we quickly found common ground. Both of us had recently moved to Taipei, looking for a new chapter in life.

Peter was brimming with excitement about a pet project he'd been working on — an app to manage HAZOP and PHA studies. At the time, I had no idea what those acronyms meant. The terms belonged to the world of chemical engineering, a field I had zero background in. Honestly, I was worried. But I love learning new things, and over the next two months, I dove deep into the subject.

I discovered that HAZOP and PHA are methods for ensuring safety before a chemical plant is built — and chemical plants are everywhere: in food processing, pharmaceuticals, oil, gas. It's one of those invisible systems that affect our daily lives but rarely cross our minds.

I also learned why Peter was so passionate about this project. Existing software in this niche was outdated, clunky, and frustrating to use. This was an opportunity to make something not only more functional, but also a pleasure to work with.

Designing for a Highly Technical World

I took on the design and frontend; Peter handled the backend. There were challenges. Peter had unconventional ideas for user experience — ideas that, at first glance, seemed unusual, but with collaboration, became unique features that made sense for the industry.

We also had to choose the right tech stack. Peter's past experiences with Django had been less than ideal, and while I was primarily a designer with occasional coding skills, I took the lead on researching alternatives. We landed on Reflex, a young Python framework based on React. It didn't have a huge community yet, but it turned out to be the right choice.

The Pitch

After about a year of development, I suggested that we enter Dragon's Chamber 2024 at the Meet Taipei event. I had worked with many tech startups before, and Vizop felt different. We had a clear goal, a clear audience, and no tendency to overcomplicate the product with too many features. The market was massive yet focused — a rare combination.

I didn't expect to win. I saw it as a chance to gain experience, knowledge, and feedback. Peter, being a professor, was a confident speaker. My role was behind the scenes — refining the slides, simplifying them, and making sure key points stood out. When we watched the other pitches, though, I had a feeling. I don't want to sound cocky, but it was clear to me that ours was the strongest.

The Win

When they announced Vizop as the winner, the judges' reactions confirmed it — they were impressed. Some wanted to advise us, others even hinted at investing or joining the team. The win brought connections, attention, and momentum. At the time, it was just Peter and me. Now, our team has grown to five and is still expanding.

What's Next

Our next big milestone? Ten new clients. We'll keep refining Vizop, adding new features, and making it the go-to tool for HAZOP and PHA. Winning Dragon's Chamber wasn't the end of the story — it was just the prologue.

EGON