Techies and artists will now have a new space to test out their gadgets, apps and other creations.
TechShop will open a 20,500-square foot manufacturing space at the Brooklyn Army Terminal at the end of the month. The facility will offer startups access to $1 million worth of high-tech tools, including 3D printers, laser cutters and electronic labs, for $200 a month, as well as training.
James Patchett, president of the city’s Economic Development Corporation overseeing the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, said access to the space is essential for incubating the city’s growing tech industry because it will provide the smallest of startups with the same resources as big name corporations.
“If you have an idea and want to see what it’s like constructed, they have all of that,” Patchett said.
The city invested $5.3 million in TechShop’s space as part of its Futureworks NYC initiative, where the city partners with companies to activate prototyping facilities across the five boroughs.
TechShop, which is based out of San Jose, is expected to create as many as 500 jobs and support more than 200 companies within five years of opening in the city, according to the Economic Development Corporation.
The EDC believes many of those who purchase memberships at TechShop will go on to start their own businesses and hire others. Patchett noted that big name apps and developers, including the group behind the Square credit card reader, have roots in spaces like TechShop.
“They can really find their footing there and share ideas with other entrepreneurs,” Patchett said.
TechShop’s debut, on Oct. 30, comes on the heels of a report highlighting the 76,000 jobs the city’s tech ecosystem has added over the past decade.
During the past ten years, the city’s tech sector has grown 30 percent, while nationally, the industry expanded by 10 percent, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the non-profit groups, the Association for a Better New York, the Partnership for New York City, and Tech: NYC.
“The study … demonstrates that our city and state’s investments in tech educational programs, tech infrastructure, and spaces for startups are paying huge dividends,” Bill Rudin, the chairman of the Association for a Better New York, said in a statement.
And that’s exactly the impact Patchett foresees TechShop having in Sunset Park.
“We see this as a model that will become increasingly popular,” Patchett said, noting that he believes other startups and investors will opt to locate near TechShop.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated the incorrect date for TechShop’s opening. It is Oct. 30.
