AU College of Business and Economics reopens the Maker Space lab, which offers all students access to equipment for launching creative projects. Room 111 on the first floor in COBE is home to two Cricut machines, a laser cut, two 3D printers and a cup press.
It is an opportunity to go beyond books and be innovative. In some fashion merchandise, marketing, entrepreneurship and early business classes students get credits for working in this space. However, all equipment is free to use by any AU student regardless of major.
A start for your small business
Students are encouraged to turn their projects into businesses with an opportunity to get financial assistance.
Maker Space is a part of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, which sponsors students’ startups.
Students can get a stipend by participating in the contest, which involves writing and pitching business ideas. The advantage will be given to already running businesses or startups close to the launch.
This fall, Morgan Center will give away up to $19,000 for microgrants. The top prize will be around $3,000. Students are welcome to use Maker Space’s equipment for their projects.
People Who Make It Possible
It is not a secret that all the equipment existed in the COBE before. However, it has spent years untouched due to COVID-19 and the absence of a specialist who can take care of it.
As it turns out, the space only needed two passionate students and a dedicated supervisor to bring it back to life.
Maker Space got its name this year, when Joao Cardoso, a Portuguese MBA student, with an engineering degree, was nudged by Tom Sudow, the Director of the Morgan Center.
“He [Sudow] was like, ‘Oh, do you want to come work for me? Do you want to get this thing going that we had going on before COVID?’ I jumped on it, went to YouTube and started learning how to use those machines,” Cardoso said.
Cardoso is about to graduate, so over the summer, he passed his knowledge to Pedro Faria, his soccer teammate, and a biochemistry student from Brazil. They created a name and logo for the space and set up all the machines.
Faria and Cardoso explore the possibilities of the equipment and assist those willing to use it.
Some projects, done in the space, include custom locker room name tags, T-shirt prints and prints on cups for the faculty.
“One of our friends sells cutting boards and we engraved the cutting boards,” Faria said.
“The goal is to fail fast”
Morgan Center supports students not only financially, but also helps them develop ideas and write business plans. Sudow meets with potential entrepreneurs multiple times before they launch the project.
“They grow and some succeed and some fail. That’s all part of the learning experience. In entrepreneurship, the goal is to fail fast,” Sudow said.
Students come to him with several ideas at the same time and “none of them are bad,” because “ideas lead to ideas,” he said.
The doors of the Morgan Center are open to everyone and even everywhere. There is no specific meeting place. All that is needed from a student is initiative.
“If they would like, I would be happy to buy them a cup of coffee at the library. I enjoy doing that.”
Students are not obliged to give back to their institution, but some successful projects have Morgan Foundation among their shareholders. This allows the center to receive dividends, but it is financed primarily by the donors.
For more information or to set up an appointment contact Maker Space at [email protected].
Contact Tom Sudow at [email protected] to meet for a cup of coffee and relay your business idea.
