over 10 years ago

From maker to founder

I’ve spoken to a lot of you over the last few months, and there’s always a look of astonishment when I explain the goal of Next Top Makers: to help makers become founders. Period.

Our success is dependent on yours. We want this program to push you to set goals for the next seven months and, with our help, reach them.

New York City has seen some amazing transformations of product projects into businesses—from Adafruit Industries, to littleBits, to Makerbot. In the Studio Phase of New York’s Next Top Makers, we’ll help six of you continue that same journey from maker to founder.

It won’t be easy and it might not always be fun, but you’ll be doing it together, with our support, in a dreamy studio space. In addition to a 24/7 creative environment, we’ll provide you cash for product development, personalized mentorship from maker heros and workshops to help you overcome the challenges you identify in your submission. For example, you probably don’t have a business, marketing or manufacturing plan right now, but we can help you get there!

Some of us (yes, I’m a maker too) just make things for ourselves and are satisfied to leave it at that. But chances are, if you love what you make, someone else will too.

So don’t miss the opportunity to see if our judges—and the rest of the City—think your product is as awesome as you do. Submit to the challenge and tell us what you need to share your product with the rest of the world.

Thanks for supporting New York’s Next Top Makers thus far. I hope to see you in the Studio!

Cheers,
Alison Hodgson
Next Top Makers Project Manager
NYCEDC