My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#1

Post by nickmolnar2 » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 7:04 PM UTC

OK. Quick back story: Over dinner with my, real estate developer, father he got very interested in the idea of owning a building with a large hackerspace in it.

The idea would be that the tenants of the building would be hardware startups who would use the space during the day, and it would be open for hacking and workshops by night. The space would be extremely well stocked with gear (soldering guns to BUGBases and everything in between). The office space would be a separate business entity from the hackerspace, and the hackerspace could be community owned/non-profit with its own management.

So, what makes a great hackerspace? How do you make the community self-sustaining? Would you pay more to run your startup in the same building as one of these spaces?

If you lived in Vancouver, would you join?

Thanks a bunch, and I'll keep you posted as the idea progresses.

Re: My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#2

Post by eugenejen » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 7:23 PM UTC

I am not sure will this be useful. But if you are interested in making a hardware hacker space, The FabLab is a good reference point. They have listing of the basic equipments. You probably can find the community of the FabLab(http://fab.cba.mit.edu/).

How to make the community self sustaining is a big question. My opinion is in the long run the hackerspace has to be profitable for its operation. At the other hand, everyone likes to take advantage of low cost/free resources without accountability. So how to design a system to encourage those startups to grow and be profitable, taking accountability and give it back to others, in order to create a positive feedback loop is really important.

I think the system can't not be centrally planning ahead, so you'd better to be keen on community in the long run.

Re: My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#3

Post by nickmolnar2 » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 7:45 PM UTC

eugenejen wrote: post #2

I am not sure will this be useful. But if you are interested in making a hardware hacker space, The FabLab is a good reference point. They have listing of the basic equipments. You probably can find the community of the FabLab( http://fab.cba.mit.edu/ ). How to make the community self sustaining is a big question. My opinion is in the long run the hackerspace has to be profitable for its operation. At the other hand,…

In my ideal vision of the hackerspace, the decisionmaking would be highly decentralized. This would require a few hundred members, which would undoubtedly take time. As an example, I would like to see a Donor's Choose style approach to ongoing purchasing, where a portion of member dues is pre-allocated to buying common goods.

Thanks for pointing out the FabLab. I'm familiar with the concept, but had never read their complete inventory. Very helpful.

Re: My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#4

Post by edwardog » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 7:50 PM UTC

If I was still in Vancouver, I know I’d be there for sure!

While you’re researching, check out Montreal’s Foulab: http://www.foulab.org/ http://makekw.org/montreals-foulab-featured-documentary-shor...

Re: My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#5

Post by baddox » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 7:56 PM UTC

I would say it's not a good business decision, even though it sounds cool. Just like internet cafes, I just can't see there being enough paying customers to make it worth it.

Re: My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#6

Post by spoiledtechie » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 8:01 PM UTC

Its def an idea I have been playing with as well, but have no financial backing yet.

Expenses could be paid in a variety of ways. 1. Membership dues. 2. Promissory notes. That if you did make it big or make a profit a percent or cut of that would go back to the hackerspace. 3. Adverts on the equipment used.

I think the biggest thing was the notes to pay back a certain percentage... So you would def need some capital to make some profit on this one tho.

Re: My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#7

Post by mey » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 8:04 PM UTC

Sounds like http://techshop.ws/ or http://portlandtechshop.com/

Both sites have a breakdown of what they have on site, and you could get an idea of the pricing. It may also be a good idea to get in touch with the people who own/run it to get their take on the business side.

Re: My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#8

Post by nickmolnar2 » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 8:14 PM UTC

spoiledtechie wrote: post #6

Its def an idea I have been playing with as well, but have no financial backing yet. Expenses could be paid in a variety of ways. 1. Membership dues. 2. Promissory notes. That if you did make it big or make a profit a percent or cut of that would go back to the hackerspace. 3. Adverts on the equipment used. I think the biggest thing was the notes to pay back a certain percentage... So you would def need some capital…

There are a few other ways to make it self-sustaining.

While you could provide free/open access some of the time, you could charge for 24/7 access and locker space. You could also rent out the space for occasional seminars/workshops/corporate off-sites.

Shipping/receiving for parts orders might be handy if many of the occupants have a day job.

There is also the possibility of government grants which, especially in Canada, are available for this kind of program. They would, at least, get the project off the ground even if they weren't used for running expenses.

I do like the idea of promissory notes. That is a great way to fundraise. I think, no matter how we raise the initial capital, the running profits of the hackerspace will stay invested in the hackerspace. I like the idea of it being a self-sufficient organization and suspect the profits on our end could be made just by what the space does to the real estate value.

Re: My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#9

Post by jrockway » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 8:16 PM UTC

baddox wrote: post #5

I would say it's not a good business decision, even though it sounds cool. Just like internet cafes, I just can't see there being enough paying customers to make it worth it.

Indeed. See this for an example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberport

The idea was to build a complex with shared resources for high-tech companies. They built the complex, but nobody is renting.

I was there last week, as I have a friend that works there, and there was absolutely nobody there. It is probably the least populated point on Hong Kong Island, including the mountains :)

Re: My Dad Asks HN: Should I Build A Hackerspace?

#10

Post by tjic » Tue, Sep 22, 2009, 8:18 PM UTC

> The idea would be that the tenants of the building would be hardware startups who would use the space during the day, and it would be open for hacking and workshops by night.

So you're going to look for startups where all the employees leave by 5pm?

...and you're further going to tell them that their space is not secure, and anything that they leave out on a desk will be seen by hundreds of strangers?

That sounds really...suboptimal.