3. Creating a Culture of Innovation in
Northeast Ohio
• Dedicated space to foster
collaboration, creativity, invention
• Supporting the next generation of
makers (a.k.a “manufacturers”)
• Creates an engine for
entrepreneurial growth by linking
students, staff, faculty, business
and community.
3
6. Is Think[box] Good for NEO?
• 20% of visitors in 1.0 space from our regional community
• Since July 2012, 34 product ideas.
– Two Kickstarter campaigns
– 12 CWRU students attended the 2014 Consumer Electronics
Show.
– 12 accepted into accelerators such as Bizdom.com (3),
Launchhouse.com (5) and Flashstarts.com (4) each receiving
$20,000 to $25,000 with a number receiving additional follow
on financing.
• From the community, cottage industries emerging.
– Knitting needle gauges
– Tridente Beach Paddles
• Industry involvement is being tested.
– RP+M
6
7. How do we move forward?
• Trust
– We really believe in being a resource for the community.
– We are fundraising to build endowment.
– More than CWRU
• Support One Another
– GREAT to have lots of fab labs, entrepreneurial spaces, and
support.
– Share the wealth, share the talent
• Share the language
– The Maker Triangle
– Makers and Manufacturers
– Makers, Innovators, and Creators
Think[box] is free and open to the region, and started out in December 2012 as a 4,500 square foot prototype space to test the concept: Can we build an environment of tinkering tools (from 3d printers to ShopBots) and collaboration space that is market agnostic, discipline agnostic, and user agnostic? Would this result in makers and tinkers playing around, or would it result in ideas that could then be turned into products and move into business concepts?
OPEN, OPEN, OPEN
Currently, floors 1-4 under construction: Soft opening August 2015!!!!
-think[box] averages 3,000 visits a month, with 20% of those visits from our regional community (companies, garage tinkerers, other university/college students, etc.)
-Since July 2012, over 1800 CWRU students, alumni, and faculty/staff have engaged with the Blackstone LaunchPad (BLP) entrepreneurial support unit and over 9,031 Northeast Ohio residents have participated in their events. This has resulted in 34 product ideas. Two of our groups have started Kickstarter campaigns and 12 CWRU students attended the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show. We have had students awarded funding from regional and national competitions ranging from a few hundred dollars to $100,000. There have been 12 accepted into accelerators such as Bizdom.com (3), Launchhouse.com (5) and Flashstarts.com (4) each receiving $20,000 to $25,000 with a number receiving additional follow on financing.
-From the community, think[box] is starting to see individuals representing cottage industries work within our 4,500 sf space. One individual has designed, prototyped, and manufactured knitting needle gauges. Another has prototyped “Tridente Beach Paddles” and is taking them to market.
-Industry involvement is being tested, and one small/mid-sized manufacturer (RP+M) has taken up residence within our think[box] space to scale up their 3D printing company and operations.
![Think[box]: Regional
Collaboration,
Economic
Development
Friday, November 21, 2014](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/tbxandregionaleconomicdevelopment-141125145317-conversion-gate01/85/tbx-and-regional-economic-development-1-320.jpg)
![What is think[box]?](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)