There is no limit to the ‘makerprenuer’ spirit in Karnataka. Anupama Gowda and Pavan Kumar, founders of Workbench Projects, will attest to this fact because they have been to the field to discover makers and tinkerers. “We travelled to 12 districts in Karnataka and ended up doing road shows with the support of district commissioners and NGOs that work in the space of innovation, university and college professors, local incubators, small start-ups, and young teams,” says Anupama, “This helped us to reach a larger community. Unless you are on the field you wont find the best.”
They are all set to host the third edition of Maker Faire that is being held with the support of the Karnataka IT&BT department, co-located with Bengaluru Technology Summit.
“Priyank Kharge said why don't you do the event under a larger banner? Maker Faire this year is a seamless blend between industry makers and home-grown, grass-roots makers.”
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Pavan Kumar, Lead Organiser of the Faire says: “There is high level participation of Amitabh Kant- CEO of Niti Aayog, GOI to Dale Doughetry Founder-CEO of Maker Media to unsung maker heroes from remote parts of Karnataka such as Prasanna from Kalaburgi who has built a low cost ovarian cancer detection device to a school student who has prepared bio-briquettes made from agricultural waste.” Makers of every age group will come together on this platform, says Anupama: “There is an 80-year-old man who works with bamboo reeds and cane to design toys.”
The event will showcase 100 maker exhibits, a keynote address, plenaries, flash talks by field specialists, 30 workshops, which include stop-motion animation, technology workshops, and jewellery making. There will also be installations, and other exciting elements of the Faire to engage the public and immerse them in the maker spirit.
Speaking on the vision for Bengaluru Technology Summit, Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister of IT, BT and Tourism, Government of Karnataka, says, “Our mission is to fortify brand Bengaluru at the international stage by showcasing our collective technology strengths across verticals. With Bengaluru Technology Summit, we are bringing all our prestigious events, like BengaluruITE.biz and Bengaluru INDIABIO, under one roof. The focus is no longer only on the services industry; innovation and creativity are the drivers that will consolidate Bengaluru’s position as a technology leader. MFB presents an exceptional opportunity for amateurs, start-ups, students and all technology enthusiasts to be a part of this incredible journey.”
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Anupama says she hopes the outcome of the Faire will be to spark a conversation among the maker community. “We hope to see a promise of there being a scope of commercialisation and to get people to think about the next logical steps to making.”
The Maker Faire will be held at the Bangalore Palace Grounds on November 17 and November 18, from 9 am to 7 pm.