Trajectories to reconcile sharing and commercialization in the maker movement
article
Maker technologies, including collaborative digital fabrication tools like 3-D printers, enable entrepreneurial opportunities and new business models. To date, relatively few highly successful maker startups have emerged, possibly due to the dominant mindset of the makers being one of cooperation and sharing. However, makers also strive for financial stability and many have profit motives. We use a multiple case study approach to explore makers’ experiences regarding the tension between sharing and commercialization and their ways of dealing with it. We conducted interviews with maker initiatives across Europe including Fab Labs, a maker R&D center, and other networks of makers. We unpack and contextualize the concepts of sharing and commercialization.
TNO Identifier
954822
ISSN
00076813
Source
Business Horizons, 60(6), pp. 783-794.
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
Pages
783-794
Files
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