Emerging Industries Maker Movement

PantherlabWorks – Who We Are PantherlabWorks is one of the centers at the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence Two team members: Jessica Sinclair Chemist, 12+ years in product development/product management Significant experience working on DoD products/projects Contract and grant experience Katie Schaible Industrial Designer Small business founder/owner Significant experience in product design, design for manufacturing

PantherlabWorks – What We Do We offer: consulting services educational workshops networking with industry experts We serve business owners/entrepreneurs looking to bring new technologies, services, and products to the market

PantherlabWorks – Some Examples Consulting services Grant opportunity identification/strategization Defining a minimally viable product Pricing strategies Market and competitor analysis Product launch plans/go-to-market strategies Education Makers to Marketplace Effective Production Series Networking Identifying sources for prototyping, manufacturing, product testing Facilitate connections to manufacturers and vendors

Our Maker Projects EDA i6 Grant – Create a manufacturing accelerator program at the Manufacturing Assistance Center (MAC) in Homewood RK Mellon Funding – technical management consultant housed at the MAC to help with product ideation, prototype development Scaling for makers through the use of technology (educational programs) Makers to Marketplace – helping makers to create/improve e-commerce business

What is a Maker? Simplest form: a person who makes or produces something Our experience: A person or small business that produces unique consumer products through handmade or technology-based production techniques at small batch scales Anything from food to handcrafted goods to technology Three types:1 Micromakers – activities contribute to city’s artistic/cultural vibrancy Global Innovators – contribute innovations to products, processes, materials Emerging place-based manufacturers – make products in place and contribute to goal of employment growth 1. The Maker Movement and Urban Economic Development Laura Wolf-Powers, Marc Doussard, Greg Schrock, Charles Heying, Max Eisenburger & Stephen Marotta Journal of the American Planning Association Vol. 83, Iss. 4, 2017

Growth of Maker Movement Sprung out of introduction of new technologies (3D printing for faster prototyping) and grew through e-commerce sites (Etsy), former manufacturing cities looking to diversify, Maker Faires, Maker Spaces, and Kickstarter/crowdfunding An estimated 135 million U.S. adults are makers2 Impacts are expected in manufacturing, education, government/public policy, retail3 More than $29B/year is pumped into the economy from the Maker Movement4 2. How Cities Can Grow the Maker Movement, National League of Cities, 2016 3. http://makermedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/impact-of-the-maker-movement.pdf 4. Martha Stewart, USA Today Oct, 2013

Top Challenges for Makers Scaling Business owner is sole proprietor and is the creativity, production, marketing, etc. in the business Often might need capital Need to find manufacturers Business savviness Consumer education Lack of funding Grants Loans Design competitions (for adults) Collaboration/education between corporate culture and maker culture to lead to innovation

Scaling Makers scale organically as they start to sell more goods at shows or through other methods Need assistance in finding manufacturers to produce quantities in the 100s to 1000s Also need support with services to drive sales: marketing, PR Resources for scaling Maker community Catalyst Connection MonMade PantherlabWorks

Lessons Learned Makers have the same issues/struggles as other entrepreneurs - they just have the added need to be creative/innovative more often Makers often start their businesses before they actually intended to start a business.

Success Story Go Carr Go www.gocarrgo.com

Kathryn Carr, Go Carr Go Local illustrator – uses traditional paper cutting techniques (by hand) to create products Products include nightlights, cards, prints Katie introduced Kathryn to a high tech option – laser cutting to decrease costs/time, expand product line to other materials We partnered with Kathryn to offer a seminar on traditional paper crafting and high tech fabrication Attendees learned how traditional and high tech fabrication methods can partner together to produce products.

Jessica Sinclair/ jsinclair@innovation. pitt Jessica Sinclair/ jsinclair@innovation.pitt.edu University of Pittsburgh Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence 412.648.1096 / www.entrepreneur.pitt.edu @PantherlabWorks