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11/18/12 | Uncategorized

Make-A-Thon: Create For A Cause

Bringng together makers, crafters, artisans, tinkerers, and other creators of physical goods for a fun day of gift-making.

By Elizabeth Knopf (Co-Founder, Project Society)

Hackers, hackers, everywhere but not a hack to make! Hackathons have now become the norm in most tech hubs, especially in Silicon Valley, with at least one happening almost every week. These are amazing events, but there seems to be a huge void in the ecosystem for non-software hackers, aka ‘makers’.

Yet, with organizations such as Make and TechShop for the engineering tinkerers, the explosion of Etsy for handmade crafters, 3D printing gaining adoption, and a new hardware and product renaissance in progress, the maker movement is in full throttle; thus, new types of maker communities are forming.

Many females are starting to also dive into this rising tide, which Women 2.0 has been highlighting recently with awesome makers – Debra Sterling of Goldiebox, Limor Freid of AdaFruit, Alice Brooks or Roominate, and Liz Salcedo of Everpurse at the PITCH NYC Conference – as well as new entrepreneurial maker spaces such as HackerMoms.

Yet, while all of these entrepreneurs are sprouting up, communities are materializing, and collaborative spaces are popping up, many of which are still nascent, the hackathon for makers has yet to take hold. So now being knee deep in a semi-stealth startup in the DIY meets social commerce space, I saw a need to bring together makers, crafters, artisans, tinkerers, and other creators of physical goods for a fun day of gift-making at Make-a-thon: Create for a Cause.

This make-a-thon will not be about forming companies or winning contests from minimum viable products, but actually connecting the community and giving back.

On December 8, 2012 from 11am to 5pm at Citizen Space, makers, artisans, tinkerers, crafters, and creators are coming together regardless of your skill level to make gifts for underprivileged families for the holidays. All items made at or before and dropped-off at the event will be donated to Toys for Tots (toys) or the Salvation Army (non-toys, clothes, gifts, etc..). Additionally, the event has received awesome support already from organizations such as AngelHack, Citizen Space, Sponsorfied, Craft Labs, Cosemble, IDEO, and many more to participate or contribute to the event. You can get a ticket and find out
more details here.

So, makers, crafters, artisans, tinkerers, or whatever kind of creator you are regardless of your skill level, please join us for a fun day of connecting and giving back to the community at Make-a-thon: Create for a Cause.

Women 2.0 readers: What would you make? Let us know in the comments.

About the guest blogger: Elizabeth Knopf is the co-founder of Project Society, a semi-stealth company connecting and empowering makers, crafters, and artisans through social commerce. Prior to Project Society, she was a consultant for a wide range of e-commerce companies, co-founder of two e-commerce startups, and previously investment and operational associate at OpenView Venture Partners. She holds a degree in Economics from Harvard College. Follow her on Twitter at @eknopf2.

Anne-Gail Moreland

Anne-Gail Moreland

Anne-Gail Moreland, an intern with Women 2.0, was on the StartupBus. She studies neuroscience at Mount Holyoke College, where she is trying to merge a passion for tech and the brain into a new wave of cognition-based technology

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