maker movement

Maker Movement

Sam Wurzel CEO, co-founder Octopart

“Makers”

• January 2005 - Make Magazine Published by O’Reilly Media

• Makers = Tinkerers x Technology x Internet

There's nothing new about tinkerers. We as a species have been tinkering for half a million years. What's new is technology and the internet. These new phenomena are turning tinkerers into Makers.

Well Known Tinkerers

Some well known electrical and electronics tinkerers from the past few centuries: Edison, Tesla, Bell, Marconi, Hewlett and Packard, Wozniak and Jobs.

Technology• Arduino - 2005

• Desktop 3D Printing - 2007

• IoT Technology - 2012

Arduino, Desktop 3D printing, and cheap IoT technology have given Makers superpowers that were previously the domain of experts and large companies.

TechnologyDevelopment Boards

Development boards have proliferated and drastically lowered the barriers to get working prototypes up and running.

Internet

On the internet side, Makers from all over the world are helping each other overcome challenges that would have stymied individuals working on their own.

Crowd Funding

2012 2013 2014Crowd funding is making capital available to Makers with an idea and the ability to communicate it to the world. However, an initial injection of money to a project does not always translate to success.

Hardware Accelerators

InnoconHardware accelerators have recognized the shortcomings of crowd funding and are filling the gaps in experience and funding.

Hardware Startups• Nest

• FitBit

• Oculus

• Pebble

• Canary

• + lots more

Here's the takeaway: Tinkerers are becoming Makers, and Makers are becoming Maker Pros and starting hardware startups.

Thanks!

• Sam Wurzel

• sam@octopart.com

• @swurzel