The idea of a hackerspace, or a place where, for a slight monthly fee, nerds with similar interests can meet, socialize, drink plentiful coffee, and make things, is nothing new in the world of Internet entrepreneurs. Hackerspaces exists all over (see here for one in your neighborhood) and are popular places to pursue side projects and meet others who can help. And some famous spaces, like Noisebridge in San Francisco, are even equipped with gnarly things like darkrooms, servers, sewing machines, and electronics bits and pieces.
But hackerspaces, as far as we know, have stayed out of the realm of biotechnology. Eri Gentry, Joseph Jackson, and Tito Jankowski are looking to change that, and just got $30,000 in funding from 200+ people via Kickerstarter.com to open their very own biotechnology hackerspace in Mountain View, California.
They’re calling the effort BioCurious, and are banking on the fact that things like PCR and Gel Electrophoresis are getting cheaper via efforts like OpenPCR and The Pearl Gel Box. They’ll keep monthly dues less than $200 and all revenue will be reinvested into the lab.
We think it’s a great idea, though we think it’ll take more than $30K to really make this place shine. But maybe we can help them out a bit. Come on biotech community, let’s get them some gear! First one to donate your old DNA synthesizer wins, well, a good feeling in your chromosomes. Email innercircle@biocurious.org when you’re ready to ante up.
Link: BioCurious: A Hackerspace for Biotech…