The article below originally appeared on MarketWatch.com and is being reprinted with permission.
New hardware products and services and the makers creating them will be the focus of the second MAKE Hardware Innovation Workshop, presented by GE, May 14-15 at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo, CA. Over 30 speakers will take the stage, offering business insights into manufacturing options for startups, and collaborative strategies from funding to production to distribution and marketing. VCs will discuss which products get their attention and why, and entrepreneurial makers will share lessons learned from starting new businesses.
“In the last year, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of startups and early stage products coming out of the maker community as a result of a growing ecosystem made up of tools like 3D printers, platforms like Arduino and Raspberry Pi, and software for advanced manufacturing,” said Dale Dougherty, CEO of Maker Media and founder and publisher of MAKE.
Workshop speakers include recognized leaders from the maker movement such as Massimo Banzi, co-founder of Arduino; Chris Anderson, founder and CEO of 3D Robotics and DIY Drones; Bunnie Huang, co-founder of Chumby; Jay Silver, founder of MaKey MaKey; and Zach Kaplan, founder and CEO of Inventables. In addition, partners from leading VC firms, and accelerators and incubators that focus primarily on hardware innovation will share their insights and strategies.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is being realized by makers as a way to connect almost anything to the Internet to create new devices: Pinoccio is a new IoT platform for makers to build a variety of devices; Nomiku is a new kind of cooking device that lets anyone affordably use the cooking techniques of top chefs, and achieve the same result; and, Cosmogia is an Arduino-controlled nanosatellite that, with a few Arduino boards and sensors, reduces the cost of building satellites. These startups, and dozens of others, will have their early stage products, projects and devices on display at the Innovation Showcase, which caps off the first day of the Workshop.
Advanced Manufacturing The Maker Pro Manufacturing Workshop, a separate three-hour session provides insight into the business ecosystem for makers and will be presented by experts in small, medium and large scale manufacturing. Participants can bring their prototypes to the workshop and presenters will recommend optimal ways to produce their products and distribute them to their target customers.
“We’re also seeing a transformation taking place as hobbyist makers see an easier path through access to startup capital from crowdfunding sites, and accelerators and incubators that specialize in hardware companies,” said Dougherty.
Other featured speakers include:
- Kai Backman, co-founder, Airstone Labs
- Carl Bass, CEO, Autodesk
- Chris Boshuizen, founder, Cosmogia
- Tim Chang, partner, Mayfield Fund
- Jeremy Conrad, founding partner, Lemnos Lab
- John Dimatos, Kickstarter
- Brook Drumm, founder and CEO, Printrbot
- Robert Faludi, collaborative strategy leader, Digi International
- Brady Forrest, PCH International
- Alden Hart, CTO, Ten Mile Square
- Zak Homuth, founder and CEO, Upverter
- Eric Jennings & Sally Carson, co-founders, Pinoccio
- Rachel Kalmar, data scientist, Misfit Wearables
- Ben Kaufman, founder and CEO, Quirky
- Eric Klein, Entrepreneur-in-residence, OATV
- Manu Kumar, founder and chief firestarter, K9 Ventures
- David Lang, co-founder, OpenROV
- Dave Merrill, co-founder and president, Sifteo
- Scott Miller, CEO and co-founder, Dragon Innovation
- James “Laen” Neal, OSH Park PCB
- John Park, COO/GM, AQS
- Nick Pinkston, founder, Plethora
- Lisa Qui, co-founder, Nomiku
- Renata Quintini, partner, Felicis-Ventures
- Dan Roberts, founder, Scout Alarm
- Zach Smith, program director, HAXLR8R
- Robert Stephens, founder, Geek Squad
- Trae Vassallo, general partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
- Eric Weddington, marketing manager, Atmel
- Peter Weijmarshausen, co-founder and CEO, Shapeways
The MAKE Hardware Innovation Workshop is presented by GE, and sponsored by ShopBot and media sponsor Engadget. For more details about the event and to register for the 2013 MAKE Hardware Innovation Workshop, visit: makezine.com/hardware-innovation-workshop
About MAKER MEDIA Maker Media is a global platform for connecting makers with each other, with products and services, and with our partners. Through media, events and ecommerce, Maker Media serves a growing community of makers who bring a DIY mindset to technology. Whether as hobbyists or professionals, makers are creative, resourceful and curious, developing projects that demonstrate how they can interact with the world around them. The launch of MAKE Magazine in 2005, followed by Maker Faire in 2006, jumpstarted a worldwide Maker Movement, which is transforming innovation, culture and education. Located in Sebastopol, CA, Maker Media is the publisher of MAKE Magazine and the producer of Maker Faire. It also develops “getting started” kits and books that are sold in its Maker Shed store as well as in retail channels.
