Making It in Massachusetts

And what does that have to do with South Florida?

Who is Matt Trask? And why is he telling me about this?

Who is Matt Trask? And why is he telling me about this?

What is a Makerspace?

 Workshop –centered coworking  Focus on hardware side of hackerspaces  Design-Oriented Innovation: at the nexus of engineering, technology and art  Primarily structured as a master lessee, with user members  Most are not-for-profit collectives, a few are for-profit or public/private partnerships

What is a Makerspace?

 Enabled by: programmable prototyping tools (e.g. Arduino), 3-D printers (e.g. Makerbot), laser cutters, crowdfunding (e.g. Kickstarter), the internet, DIY, Lego’s modularity, open source software solutions  Influenced by: robotics, hackers, artists, set designers, innovation competitions, electronic component salvage, welding, lock picking, sewing, Burning Man devotees, craftsmen, custom bicycles, TED talks, Singularity

What is the Purpose of a Makerspace?

 Creative stimulation  Collaboration  Encouragement  Friendly competition Driven by Open-Sourced information from the Internet, interdisciplinary collaboration “A new level of organization and facilities”

Where do Makerspaces Form?

 Depends on the location of individual Founders  Where there is a potential pool of members

What Makes a Makerspace?

 Shared facilities and services such as whiteboards, couches, coffee bars  But the

Defining Component

is the

Workshop

!

 CNC Machines, Laser Cutters, 3D Printers, Welding Equipment, Mechanical and Electronic Tools

How do Makerspaces form?

 A small diverse group of founders meeting informally  Meetup.org

1.

Landlord-funded makerspaces 2.

Corporate model, like a healthclub, such as Tech Shop 3.

Community/corporate sponsorship

Stages of Makerspace Development 

Early Stage



Growth Stage



Mature Stage

Stages of Makerspace Development

Early Stage:

Founders draw in their friends, meetings are held to plan a facility, operating model is devised What type of Making?

Membership model?

Onsite classes?

Individual vs. shared workspace?

Stages of Makerspace Development

Early Stage:

 Where to locate?

 How to equip?

 How to prioritize and make decisions?

 What legal structure?

 Budgeting?

 Membership fee structure?

 Insurance?

 Membership requirements?

Stages of Makerspace Development

Early Stage:

South Coast Innovator Labs (SCIL) The Collaborative/Gateway Consulting BOLT, Boston The Geek Group of Western MA Xylem, Somerville T.E.S.L.A./WAG, Worcester Haverhill Hardware Horizons Competition (H3C)

Stages of Makerspace Development

Growth Stage:

 Grows roots  Stabilizes identity, location, and member base  Establish facilities  Establish educational and social events

Stages of Makerspace Development

Growth Stage:

“Makerspaces serve as workplace, clubhouse, social hub, and training center. The

more functions

the space serves, the

more attractive

it is to the community, and the more the community bonds to it. In some cases, members actually move nearer to these locations .”

Stages of Makerspace Development

Growth Stage:

Necessary systems such as billing, accounting, website development, member database management, payroll for staff and instructors

Stages of Makerspace Development

Growth Stage:

Educational components

(sample from Artisan’s Asylum)

Saturday, September 29 9:00am Crash Course: Programming-CEMI Electronic Media Institute 12:00pm Basic Machine Tools Training 12:00pm Metal Lathe Testing 2:00pm Manual Milling Machine Testing 3:00pm What the Fluff? Festival! 3:00pm Basic Metalworking Machine Tools 4:00pm CNC Mill Testing 7:00pm CEMI Weekly Jam Sunday, September 30 12:00pm Public Robotics Lab Office Hours 1:00pm Organic Modeling in Blender 2:00pm Oxy-Acetylene Tool Training 2:30pm CNC Mill Tool Training 4:00pm 3D Printer Tool Training Monday, October 1 7:00pm Bicycle Maintenance II 7:00pm Lathe: Intro to Woodturning

Stages of Makerspace Development

Growth Stage:



Industry Lab, Cambridge



Artisan’s Asylum, Somerville

Stages of Makerspace Development

Growth Stage:

 Landlord-initiated offers of space to lease  Incubator Area  Accelerator programs  Begun generating profitable businesses

Stages of Makerspace Development

Mature Stage:



When and how to grow



Spin-off companies



Leadership succession



Replicate in new locations

Stages of Makerspace Development

Mature Stage:



Fab Lab



South End Technology Center (SETC)



Mobile Lab, Roxbury

Economic Development Potential  Job Creation   Facility Staff Startups/Tenant companies  Capital Attraction   Venture Funding Kickstarter. IndieGogo, etc.

 Grant Potential      DARPA National Science Foundation Foundations Workforce Development Funding SBIR Grants

Conclusions/Recommendatio ns

Tying all this to South Florida

“a Makerspace about every twenty miles”

Palm Beach L.E.D., Jupiter NoBo, Boynton Beach Hack Delray/Startup Delray, Delray Beach Caffeine Spaces, Boca Raton The Learned Nerd, Deerfield Beach Maker Square, Ft, Lauderdale The Lab, Miami

Reference  This White Paper: http://ampitupma.com/pdf/makerspacesr eport_april2013.pdf

 Make Magazine – www.makezine.com

 Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, by Chris Anderson – www.amazon.com

Thank you!

www.MattTrask.Com

www.NeedFirmware.Com

www.TechFoundery.Com