Maker- and hackerspaces are proliferating across the world. Physical spaces where people with different skills and common hacker ethics meet and explore technology. These spaces are becoming important incubators for new innovations in open hardware and software. And a lot of fun!
Inspired by spaces in Vienna, Berlin and Malmö, we decided to start the first Danish maker- and hackerspace here in Copenhagen. We managed to organize member-based funding and bootstrap our 220 m² space in six months, drawing on organizational skills learned from open source software development.
I am going to present the lessons we learned during the bootstrapping of Labitat. How we made it into an infrastructure where people with disparate interests meet and collaborate on projects ranging from Python Wednesdays to the creation of DIY 3D printers. How we created rules that encourage member-initiated and de-centrally planned physical activities. Plus some practical tips on how you can start your own maker-/hackerspaces by forking our organizational structures and practices.
Aslak Ransby is a member of Labitat