Inventopia Hosting Month-Long Make-A-Thon

Inventopia is teaming up with Bekonix to create a unique kind of event: a month-long celebration of invention and creativity! The NorCal Make-A-Thon kicks off this Saturday at Inventopia’s maker space in Davis. The event will be held every Saturday, from 2-6 PM, thereafter until December 3, except for Thanksgiving Saturday.

What’s a Make-A-Thon?

What’s a Make-A-Thon you ask? It’s an event designed to encourage inventive ideas and test the limits of what people can do in creating connected / smart devices using the resources available at Inventopia, and the intuitive no-code Bekonix platform. While “hackathons” are typically one-weekend types of events, the only thing you can actually build in a single weekend is an idea. The Make-A-Thon organizers want to help you build something REAL. – and that takes time!

“We are breaking new ground with this event, ” said Tim Keller, executive director of Inventopia. “Most events like this are just a single weekend, where you have time maybe to come up with a good idea… but nothing else. By making this a multi-week event, teams will have a time to brainstorm, prototype, test, redesign, rebuild and show those prototypes to people around them. Ideas will simply go much further, making the leap from concept into reality. My goal is to have multiple kickstarter campaigns for new products coming out of this event.”

Featured Guest

Dale Dougherty, founder of Make Magazine, which started conducting Maker Faires in 2006 for do-it-yourself enthusiasts, is a featured guest of the Make-A-Thon. He’ll be speaking at the event on December 3.

Optional No-Code Component Kit

Inventopia’s partner in the Make-A-Thon, Bekonix, has curated an optional kit that will take advantage of supported components ensuring particiants are up and running (creating) as soon as possible. With Bekonix’s no-code platform for developing smart devices and the wide range of tools and technologies available at inventopia, participants can make almost anything.

“The NorCal Make-A-Thon is all about giving you the tools, technologies and mentors to not just dream up something great- but to actually make it real, said Daniel Kaye, CEO of Bekonix. “Our hope is to inspire people’s creativity, drive and sense of adventure and see some amazing products come to life,”

Details and FAQ:

Tickets are $60 to pay for food & drink at all events and materials – including supplies to make your own custom event T-shirt!
Space limited to 60 participants.
There are no requirements for the kinds of projects. The only limits are your imagination and the month-long timeframe of the event
Minors under 14 are welcome and are free with accompanying adult.
You do not need your own project idea when you start, participants will be pitching our ideas and forming teams at the first event.
You do not need to be at every single event. Zoom connection will be provided if requested.
If teams need special support or extra work hours at inventopia, extra work time can be arranged
Manufacturing / Prototyping Technologies available at Inventopia include:
- 3D Printing ( multiple )
- Soldering / electrical
- Laser Cutter
- CNC Router ( 4’x4′ wood and plastics )
- CNC Mill and Lathe ( can cut aluminum and steel)
- TIG and MIG welding
- Resin & Composites
- Vinyl Cutter
- Any hand-tool you can think of.