Jim Newton is CEO and founder of TechShop, a membership based workshop that allows its members access to over a one million dollars’ worth of tools.
On Tuesday, he told reporters during the World Science and Technology Forum that the Korean government’s focus on creative economy and their efforts to establish creative centers in Korea is a “fantastic resource” but that approval for use of these centers are granted only to those who own a business, with a business plan.
The creative centers “can’t really help the individual,” he says. TechShop, on the other hand, “doesn’t require a business plan and can be used by any individual.”
When asked whether TechShop has plans to set up shop in Korea, he answered, “We are in early discussions to possibly open a TechShop in Korea. If we were to open in Korea, though, we would want everything duplicated the way it is set up in the U.S., even down to the free popcorn and coffee – because it has been a very successful model.” He continued, “We have a very wide range of equipment – you need all the different equipment to complete a project. That’s why you need everything the same.”
