HardwareCon3 Launches at Zero Net Energy Center in February
HardwareCon3, (HC3) a producer of events and accelerants for hardware start-ups, has announced that its premier two day experience – a “Catapult for Hardware Businesses” — is scheduled to run from Saturday February 28th starting at 8:00am until Sunday March 1st at 3:30pm at the Zero Net Energy Center (ZNEC) in San Leandro, CA. The interactive experience is designed exclusively for hardware entrepreneurs and start-ups and is taking applications for participants. Top line sponsors include Panasonic, GoEngineer and the City of San Leandro’s Office of Innovation. Other sponsors include Berkeley Sourcing Group, Transmedia SF, the City of San Leandro and Wearable Worlds.
“Panasonic is founded on innovation and we look forward to supporting future innovators in action at HardwareCon where startups are focused on building great products and companies,” said Bob Christopher, Director of Innovation for Panasonic R&D USA. “There are many ways that startups can work with big companies and as someone who has been a startup founder, in my role at Panasonic, I want to help entrepreneurs understand their options for working with companies – and in the end succeed.”
“The City of San Leandro is very excited to be the host city for HardwareCon3”, stated Mayor Pauline Cutter. “We are proud of our industrial heritage and committed to supporting the growth of advanced manufacturing and hardware startups through a variety of innovative approaches, including development of one of the nation’s fastest commercial fiber optic networks, Lit San Leandro. We invite hardware entrepreneurs and startups to take a close look at how a cutting edge City experienced in manufacturing can support their business growth.”
HardwareCon3 has been designed and developed exclusively for hardware startup entrepreneurs and is structured to help founders catapult their businesses to the next levels of success. Over the two–day event, participants will interact with subject matter experts running hands-on workshops, attend mentor and funder one-on-one sessions, and enjoy content focused on building a company to take category-killing products to market.
“The forces that helped start the current hardware revolution – 3d printing, robust Internet distribution systems and crowd-funding – are not enough to start and grow a sustainable business,” said Greg Fisher, co-founder of HardwareCon3 and CEO of Berkeley Sourcing Group, an outsourced manufacturing firm that has reviewed over 600 products in the past 10 years. “Hardware start-ups need to understand design, marketing and strategy. That’s what we’re offering in HardwareCon3 – a two-day hands-on experience that gives entrepreneurs all of the tools they need to grow great hardware based businesses.”
As hardware startups mature and the market gets more competitive, entrepreneurs will need the knowledge and information that will be presented in different tracks that are designed to be customizable to the entrepreneurs’ specific needs. In addition to expert advice and hard data, participants will also be exposed to essential tools and technologies.
“In the last couple of years, we have seen exponential growth in the number of our customers in the hardware startup arena that are leveraging very high price/performance, cutting-edge CAD/CAE and 3D printing technologies,” said Kevin Douglas, VP of Sales for GoEngineer, a HC3 sponsor. “These technologies can help budding entrepreneurs get their initial products to market quickly with innovation advantages over much larger firms with many more resources.”
Startups, by their nature, should be quick, nimble and innovative, and with the experience gained from one weekend – they should also be prepared to catapult themselves and their businesses to their next levels of success.
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Event Details:
HardwareCon3 – http://www.hardwarecon.com
February 28 – 8am – March 1 – 3pm
NZE Center – 14600 Catalina Street, San Leandro, CA 94577
To attend – register at: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/hardwarecon3-tickets-15144686164
About the Sponsors:
Panasonic Corporation of North America
Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and solutions for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrand’s 2014 annual “Best Global Green Brands” report, Panasonic ranked number five overall and the top electronics brand in the report. As part of continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility, built to meet LEED certification standards, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ.
GoEngineer
GoEngineer delivers software, technology and expertise that enable companies to unlock design innovation and deliver better products faster. With more than 30 years experience and thousands of customers in high tech, medical, machine design, energy and other industries, GoEngineer provides best-in-class design solutions from SOLIDWORKS, Stratasys, Objet, CAMWorks and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).
City of San Leandro
One of the most diverse cities in the nation located at the center of the dynamic San Francisco Bay Area, San Leandro is a safe, vibrant community of 87,000 residents with well-maintained neighborhoods, excellent public libraries, twenty-one public parks, quality local schools, and a wide range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. The western border of the city consists of over eight miles of pristine shoreline and amenities on San Francisco Bay while a regional park and nature areas fall on the eastern boarder of San Leandro. San Leandro businesses enjoy multiple advantages including close proximity to the Oakland International Airport and Port of Oakland, two major freeways, two BART stations, and access to a large and well-educated workforce. Through a public-private partnership known as Lit San Leandro (www.LitSanLeandro.com), a fiber optic network circles San Leandro’s industrial and commercial core offering businesses virtually unlimited internet connectivity.
Visit www.sanleandro.org to learn more about San Leandro. To receive City press releases, meeting agendas or other notifications by email, sign up at www.sanleandro.org/portal.
Berkeley Sourcing Group
Berkeley Sourcing Group is an international sourcing partner to hardware start-ups and established businesses who wish to take advantage of China-based manufacturing. We connect our clients to our qualified factories and manage the process from their first product to the millionth and beyond. With over 10 years of experience in China and out-sourced manufacturing, we manage cultural and language issues, quality control, engineering and local support – so you can concentrate on product design and building your business.
Transmedia SF
Transmedia SF is a professional media technology agency and studio that provides strategy, planning, execution and education services that enable our clients to effectively reach customers on all of their devices – anytime, everywhere. Our focus is on developing your core story, matching that story to the needs of your audience, and to delivering your story via all of the devices and platforms that your audiences use and access on a regular basis.
Net Zero Energy Center
The ZNE Center is the first large scale commercial building retrofit designed to meet the U.S. Department of Energy’s requirements for a “zero net energy” building. The 46,000 square foot facility will now serve as the educational facility for the Alameda County IBEW-NECA Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC).
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