Sydney-born entrepreneur John van den Nieuwenhuizen has big plans for his Apple-inspired start-up Hidden, which is on the cusp of raising $1 million on crowdfunding website Kickstarter.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Van den Nieuwenhuizen, who was born in Sydney but is based in San Francisco, co-founded consumer electronics company Hidden with former Motorola colleague Vitor Santa Maria, based in Milan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He and Santa Maria have designed and consulted for many Fortune<\/i> 500 tech companies, with more than 30 years of experience between them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They\u2019re now branching out on their own, aiming to create products that break the usual, overly complex molds. The designers pride themselves on their simple but innovative product designs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hidden\u2019s first product, dubbed the HiddenRadio & Bluetooth Speaker, is described as \u201cthe simplest, most powerful radio and wireless speaker for iPhone and iPad ever in a compact form\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The speaker wirelessly supports iPhones and iPads, or any other smartphone, tablet or computer, via Bluetooth technology.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The device also has a built-in radio, while rechargeable batteries can support more than 30 hours of streaming music.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are no physical buttons or screens on the unit, and users control the volume by twisting the cap. Its round shape allows sound to be projected at all angles.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In November last year, Hidden turned to Kickstarter to raise funds, setting itself a goal of $125,000 by January 18 this year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the start-up has smashed its target, raising almost $1 million via the platform.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n