TechShop
= member-based workshop located in Silicon Valley in Menlo Park, California that lets people of all skill levels come in and use industrial tools and equipment to build their own projects. [1]
URL = http://www.techshop.ws/
Description
"TechShop is a 15,000 square-foot membership-based workshop that provides members with access to tools and equipment, instruction, and a creative and supportive community of like-minded people so you can build the things you have always wanted to make....
TechShop provides you with access to a wide variety of machinery and tools, including milling machines and lathes, welding stations and a CNC plasma cutter, sheet metal working equipment, drill presses and band saws, industrial sewing machines, hand tools, plastic and wood working equipment including a 4' x 8' ShopBot CNC router, electronics design and fabrication facilities, Epilog laser cutters, tubing and metal bending machines, a Dimension SST 3-D printer, electrical supplies and tools, and pretty much everything you'd ever need to make just about anything."
Funding
"TechShop is unusual in the way it's funded - community members are the financial backers. To date, TechShop has been funded by taking loans from members and repaying them at a nominal rate. Typically backers contribute $25k and up, and are then paid back over several years. There is an "A" round being raised now to fund the nationwide expansion, and the first funding source again is going to be the community instead of focusing on traditional VC sources. It's an unusual way to keep members excited about what they do at TechShop, and to keep them focused on making the whole experience better." (http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/002777.php)
More Information
- Article: http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/002777.php
- Video: http://video.boingboing.net/video/11324/bbtv_2008-05-01-220300.mp4
- THE HOMEBREW INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION By Kevin A. Carson