Since we already crossed the topic of new Scandinavian co-working spaces this week, here’s another newcomer in the start-up co-working sector: THINGS.
THINGS is the first hardware hub to set up office in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. The space will be located in the campus of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in a 2000sqm, customised house.THINGS’s aim is to offer a collaborative working environment for 30 hardware product driven start-ups that work, among other things, in areas like IOT, medtech and 3D printing.
Like most co-working spaces, THINGS will be a hotspot for its protégée start-ups to build industry networks, but what makes THINGS especially interesting for any hardware businesses are the facilities it will provide for developing prototypes: apart from the event space and meeting rooms, THINGS will include an in-house workshop geared with laser cutters and 3D printers; member start-ups can get their hands on additional specialised equipment from official academic partners such as KTH, SP TECHNICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE of Sweden and Akademiska Hus.
The co-working space is an initiation by start-up incubator STING, who is also behind another Stockholm-based co-working space, SUP46, which is aimed at digital start-ups.
“THINGS is an independent player: it’s not owned by investors or a production company, which makes it different from other hardware hubs around the world. The availability of machines to develop and test prototypes opens up fantastic opportunities, and the close involvement from our industry partners is also unique: in addition to gaining access to the start-ups, industrial partners get a new kind of arena in which to network with each other”, says Pär Hedberg, founder and CEO of STING and initiator of THINGS.
It’s a pretty interesting opportunity for hardware start-ups who want to have close contact (and potential future deals) with major players of their industry: official partners of THINGS include ABB, ASSA ABLOY, Husqvarna, NCC and SEB. The idea, in short, is that these organisations will inspire one another in the shared working environment by keeping the channels of communication close and open. This way finding solutions to existing development problems or needs on both sides is made much easier. Additionally, THINGS has partnerships with technology and service companies – such as Cisco and TeliaSonera – that can provide relevant help when needed. At least in theory, THINGS is an environment where significant potential for hardware innovations will be made possible.
THINGS will be hosting regular events for the hardware community , but other benefits for start-ups involved include access to an established network of investors, external services and manufacturers. The vision is to be the Nordic equivalent of Silicon Valley hardware hubs like Highway1 and Lab IX in San Francisco.
“Scandinavian design has an international reputation for sleek functionality and a clean aesthetic. At THINGS, we bring together engineering and design in a very Swedish way, but for an international market – connecting some of the most innovative individuals and companies in the world. Following in the footsteps of Electrolux, Ericsson, and Hasselblad amongst others, THINGS is nurturing the next generation of technology and hardware success stories”, said Linda Krondahl, CEO of THINGS.
THINGS will open its doors on 26th March 2015.
Current members of THINGS include:
Bumbee Labs, Evothings, Gleechi, Moggles, QuantifiedPlanet, Shortcut Labs, Single Technologies, SoftAlarm, Tingeer, Volumental and Worldfavor.
