Matthew Sleman
Matthew’s innovation journey began at the age of 5 when he became curious about intellectual property. He wanted to invent something he could patent. Matthew started thinking about his plastic, interlocking building bricks, wondering how he could elevate the fun factor. As Matthew brainstormed ideas for what he could change about the bricks, the idea came to him—why not make the bricks change colors?
Matthew tested different methods of coating the bricks to make them change color, and with the help of his parents, applied for a patent. Matthew’s patent for color-changing building bricks, U.S. Patent Number 11,642,606, was issued in May 2023, making Matthew one of the youngest U.S. patent holders. Matthew proudly took his patent to school to share with his class.