Microfactory Co-op
ABOUT
The Microfactory Co-op
Established in January, 2019, the Microfactory Co-operative Inc. exists to unite hardware entrepreneurs in a quest to scale up successfully by working together. We share resources, equipment, talent and expertise as a cooperative effort.
Our skills and abilities also allow us to provide external clients with exceptional commercial services such as prototyping, design and custom manufacturing solutions.
We are located in the VentureZone at Venture13 in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, and work alongside Northumberland Makers in the V13 MakerLab.
Membership Benefits
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Work together to help solve each others' problems
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Leverage the collective resources and facilities of the V13 MakerLab
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Acquire and share equipment
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Reduce external dependencies
- Attract funding and investment
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Combine partial production requirements for a fully efficient operation
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Develop additional support services for Members (e.g. credit with suppliers, group insurance, bookkeeping services, etc.)
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Develop external contract manufacturing and other business opportunities to the benefit of all Members and investors.
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Co-promote Member startups with the Microfactory Co-operative for more exposure and engagement.
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Attract funding and community support
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Provide opportunities for Northumberland's skilled industrial workforce.
Membership Responsibilities
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Support the purpose and objects of the co-operative
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Invest in the co-operative, Member (voting) and preferred shares
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Pay annual membership fees (invoiced quarterly) as may be determined by the Board of Directors
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Pay for materials/supplies (direct costs of manufacturing/prototyping/engineering)
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Participate in the democratic governance of the co-operative, including attending the annual general meeting, electing Directors, and volunteering on task groups or standing committees
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Engage in group conversations, surveys, knowledge-sharing on Slack (or other platforms)
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Directors have additional active oversight/fiduciary requirements, regular meetings, strategic planning and governance, in the neighbourhood of 100-150 hours/year.
Our Team
Alex Papanicolaou
Director and Lead Designer
Alex graduated from the University of Toronto with a BASc in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He worked as a Research Assistant at the Institute for Optical Sciences and interned at Apple in Hardware Systems Integration. His company Hardware Solutions is a Member of the Microfactory Co-operative where he is Lead Designer, providing our clients with prototyping and design as well as custom manufacturing solutions. He is also Co-Founder of Open EyeTap at the Human Intelligence Lab.
Nisha Sarveswaran
Director
Nisha Sarveswaran is a multiple-award-winning serial cleantech entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of Ambience Data as well as Ecoli Sense. Her advanced IoT technologies provide real-time environmental monitoring solutions for a wide array of customers and partners. Nisha is the winner of N100 2017 and alumna of 500 Startups Batch 19. She holds a BASc in Aerospace Engineering from Ryerson University.
Bolis Ibrahim
Director
Bolis Ibrahim is Founder & CEO of Argentum Electronics, a hardware startup developing innovative Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) and control technologies for smart buildings. Bolis is currently completing a BEng in Electronics Engineering from Ryerson University and is an alumnus of the Impact Centre at the University of Toronto's Techno 2018 program. He is the winner of N100 2018 as well as the recipient of numerous awards including OCE's Norman Esch Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship Award.
Phil Mandryk
Director
Phil Mandryk is President of Northumberland Makers, a community non-profit organization providing DIY, coding, robotics, electronics and STEAM-D opportunities for makers of all ages in Northumberland, from their headquarters at the V13 MakerLab. Phil is also the owner of Mandryk Networks and his professional experience includes network engineering and systems admin.
Dr. Jamal Zeinalov, P. Eng
Director
Dr. Zeinalov is a materials and simulation expert who holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Ryerson University.
John Hayden
Advisor
John Hayden is a Venture Catalyst with Northumberland CFDC where he leads the N100 Technology Startup Competition and the N1M startup program with the support of FedDev Ontario. John is a member of the CVCA and holds a Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from MIT where he completed the Entrepreneurship Development Program.
Russ Christianson
Advisor
Russ Christianson (BComm and MA Industrial Relations) is President of Rhythm Communications and an internationally recognized expert in co-operatives. He has helped to launch hundreds of co-ops including our Microfactory.