Can Techshop Create A New Generation of Makers

I don’t watch much Youtube video, and certainly didn’t think that I would make it through more than the first couple of minutes of a video about a company called Techshop. 15 minutes in, I was totally engrossed, and when it ended an hour and six minutes later, I was immediately ready to watch it again.

So much “hand wringing” is done these days about now America no longer leads the world in manufacturing.  Many think that our days of making things is over.

Techshop is a startup “do it yourself” lab that now has locations in about half a dozen American cities. It is a “shop” equipped with the newest tools, computers and design materials that is accessible to any member who has an idea and wants to build something.

At a Techshop location, for as little as $75 a month, a member can get their hands on millions of dollars worth of state of the art tools that almost no one could afford on their own. Combine that with classes and a community of thinkers and makers and you have fertile bed for creating new businesses and bringing ideas into reality.

Highly regarded tech writer Robert Scoble has called Techshop, possibly be the “most important startup to United States’ manufactiring industry”.

Techshop started in San Francisco and how has locations in Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Electronic equipment, welding and woodworking, sheet metal fabrication tools, metal milling machines, and lots of high end computers and computer controlled tools are available at all locations and a monthly membership gives anyone access to everything in the building.

A Techshop is a garage workshop on a grand scale and it creates a collaborative environment that has launched lots of successful businesses. In addition to appealing to entrepeneurs, it is equally compelling for folks who just like to build things.

I am hoping to check out the Raleigh Techshop location this week. I’ll let you know what I find out.

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