SUNSHINE LABS

Sunshine Labs was formally started in January 2014, when two community members found their small businesses had outgrown their garages and local hackerspaces (FamiLAB and Melbourne Makerspace). However, they weren’t quite ready for full manufacturing facilities, and at the time there were no coworking spaces in Central Florida where you could bring manufacturing equipment. Inspired by hardware incubators such as Bolt.io in Boston, and NextFab in Philadelphia, they joined together to for... m Sunshine Labs, a coworking space where you can bring your own equipment, or use the facilities’ equipment to make your ideas a reality. Sunshine Labs has provided a locus for local hardware startups to receive consultation about their product ideas, access to equipment to make their designs, while helping to give back to the maker and inventor communities of Central Florida and beyond. Sunshine Labs also acts as a design consultation firm. Members and non-members can schedule appointments and meet with experienced engineers and business owners. At the (free!) initial consultation meeting, SL (Sunshine Labs) helps form an idea of what is needed to get the client’s idea manufactured, and presents a plan of how to coordinate production among SL members, along with the associated costs. If the project is pretty straightforward the client may be referred to an individual SL member. If it is complex, SL can coordinate project management to make it simpler for the client. Because there is a variety of talent in-house, SL can provide one-stop shopping for design and production. Joining as a member can also provide opportunities for participating in consultation projects, if the new member is interested.More