Open Source Business Models

The following is a list of ways to obtain funding for our hardware projects, which ultimately benefits the entire community.

• Android/iPhone app dev

• Open innovation challenges, not sure the end product is open though, maybe this depends upon the organization you are brainstorming for.

  • http://innocentive.com/
  • http://www.innovationexchange.com/
  • http://www.ninesigma.com/
• Research Grants
  • see Funding
• Zipcar business based on Riversimple’s open source hydrogen car (they have yet to release the plans). DNA Synthesis Bidding Site
• Selling Open Hardware
  • Plastic parts from the RepRap, art and home improvement stuff
    • item a
    • item b
  • CNC Milling Machine
    • http://opensourcecnc.blogspot.com/
    • have already contacted Mitch’s secretary, will call back (hopefully) March 8
  • STM/AFM
  • Wire-EDM
  • Torch Table
  • CEB Press
  • Tractors

In brief, form a think tank to solve open innovation challenges, obtain research grants of interests, selling open hardware via kits or even pre-assembled (reprap parts), and consulting of complicated machinery (Wire-EDM, CNC Milling, etc.). Yet another route is the open hardware co-op model:

Open manufacturing facilities are set up in various locations, like hackerspaces are now. Hardware package maintainers there have machines like an open source SMT pick-and-place project. Profits from running the SMT machine (maybe it is hooked up to a commercial website front-end) go back into the local shop for overhead, but also back into the co-op so that overall there are hundreds of these setups around the world contributing money back into the pool. Then these funds are used to build more machines, and better machines of all sorts- DNA synthesizers, CNC machines, SMT pick-and-place machines, maybe one day molecular nanotechnology and kinematic self-replicating machines or entire toolchains for fabrication laboratories.