MakerBay Competitors

Adafruit was founded in 2005 by MIT engineer, Limor "Ladyada" Fried. Her goal was to create the best place online for learning electronics and making the best designed products for makers of all ages and skill levels. In the last 15 years, Adafruit has grown to over 100+ employees. Adafruit has expanded offerings to include tools, equipment, and electronics that Limor personally selects, tests, and approves before going in to the Adafruit store. Adafruit is a 100% woman owned manufacturing company, a certified Minority and Woman-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE), a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), and WOSB. During the COVID-19 outbreak Adafruit Industries is operating as an essential service and manufacturing business: NYC – Executive Order 202.6 making PPE and medical device components. Adafruit was appointed to the Small Business Sector Advisory Council by the City of New York to help restart the NYC economy. Post pandemic New York City launched a new Industrial Working Group which Adafruit is Co-Chairing, bringing together leaders from across the city’s industrial and manufacturing sectors with academics and policy experts to redefine the sectors’ needs and opportunities. In 2024 Adafruit moved to Industry City! Brooklyn, New York! Industry City is a six-million-square-foot ecosystem in Brooklyn, NY - a bustling workplace for professionals across multiple disciplines including USA advanced electronics manufacturer Adafruit Industries! After hours and on weekends, Industry City becomes Brooklyn’s unofficial backyard, offering live music, festivals, dining, and tons of retail.

Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned. The launch of Maker Faire in the Bay Area in 2006 demonstrated the popularity of making and interest among legions of aspiring makers to participate in hands-on activities and learn new skills at the event. 200,000 people annually attend the two flagship Maker Faires in the Bay Area and New York, with an average of 44% of attendees first timers at the Bay Area event, and 61% in New York. In 2017, over 190 independently-produced “Mini Maker Faires” plus over 30 larger-scale Featured Maker Faires will have taken place around the world, including Tokyo, Rome, Shenzhen, Taipei, Seoul, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Detroit, San Diego, Milwaukee, and Kansas City. Maker Faire is primarily designed to be forward-looking, showcasing makers who are exploring new forms and new technologies. But it’s not just for the novel in technical fields; Maker Faire features innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft. Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. It’s a venue for makers to show examples of their work and interact with others about it. Many makers say they have no other place to share what they do. DIY (Do-It-Yourself) is often invisible in our communities, taking place in shops, garages and on kitchen tables. It’s typically out of the spotlight of traditional art or science or craft events. Maker Faire makes visible these projects and ideas that we don’t encounter every day.

NextFab is a membership-based makerspace for professional makers. We provide the technology, tools, space, and resources to turn an idea into reality, develop a product or business, and create something you only dared to dream up – all while advancing your own skills and finding your passions. By combining digital technology with traditional tools, we’re finding cutting-edge ways to make things, solve problems, and learn by doing. By putting the latest tools in our makers’ hands, we hope to inspire small business owners, artisan entrepreneurs, tech startups, creatives, and the makers of Philadelphia and beyond to make an impact. At our Philadelphia makerspace location, we offer shared workshops and studios with state-of-the-art tools and equipment, tailored to fit our members’ making and creative needs. In addition to the physical machines and tools, we offer a pathway to advance our members’ journeys, including classes, office hours, business resources, private spaces, studio rentals, and business accelerator programs. Along with our tight-knit community vibes, our technical staff is on-site to guide members on getting started, provide feedback, or advance their skills through our private training or pre-formatted class options. With our membership model, we strive to provide our makers with all the tools, equipment, and resources they’ll need so they can focus on the making while we focus on the space.