The final installment of the 2021 City Series is now available to watch! Catch all the action at MakerspaceCT and find out who walked away with the trophy at the Hartford-Make48 competition.
With an outstanding lineup of tool techs from MakerspaceCT, the community and some of our sponsors, teams were able to build anything they could think of. Stanley Black & Decker was tasked with devising the challenge for teams to solve. This year’s Challenge for Make48-Hartford was Outdoor Lifestyle. Teams were allowed to build a prototype in one of the following categories:
1) Ultimate Outdoor Audio
2) Back Patio Entertainment
3) Solar Home Solutions
4) Back Patio Lighting
Some of the criteria included: Thinking about the Branding (product name), creating it as a consumer product, making sure it wasn't infringing on an already protected product, creating it for a target audience between 18-60 years old, and the retail price had to be between $30-$180.
The Hartford teams quickly went to work after the challenge was revealed. The teams who competed at MakerspaceCT were; Coast to Coast, CBI Makers, Magic Make, My Three Sons, Accelerator Inventors, ≥9K, Pathways Panthers, and the Hartford Hawks. Read their bios here
Chris Allen (A Connecticut Entrepreneur), Matt Plaziak (Stanley Black & Decker) and Armin Rad (An Entrepreneur) made up the panel and had the tough decision of picking the first and second place winners. They looked at multiple specifications such as distribution, profitability, viability and market appeal.
All the teams did a great job of listening to the mentors and the challenge criteria and created incredible prototypes for Stanley Black & Decker. It was a difficult decision for the judges, but the two teams heading to Nationals are Magic Make and My Three Sons!
Magic Make went home with the first place trophy for their product, Eclipse 360. The portable, directional light was a hit for the judges. The interior shade allows anyone to direct the light where they want to, creating a warm comforting space without disturbing others. The outdoor lighting marketing is big, and the panel of judges could see Eclipse360 at weddings or outdoor events.
The second place team was My Three Sons for their idea, the Zip Pit. The portable fire pit was designed with minimal storage and easy breakdown.
Both teams will represent Hartford in Wichita. Watch the hard work the teams put in at the Hartford event and we’ll see you next month at Nationals!