What is Nova Labs?
Nova Labs is a 501(c)(3) non profit all-volunteer makerspace in Northern Virginia that supports a diverse community of MAKERS. We provide the facility, tools, knowledge, and mentorship needed to help everyone rediscover the joy of making things!
As a family-friendly makerspace, and as part of our educational mission, we sponsor a wide variety of fun and engaging classes and hands-on making activities for adults and kids.
Our makers also enthusiastically support open source development for projects that benefit the local community and the world (Learn more about these projects below!).
In just a few years, our NOVA Makers Meetup group has grown to over 1700 makers, (oops....in the short time it took us to launch this campaign we grew to over 2,100 makers - one of the largest in the world)!
For more info check out our Flickr Stream.
Why are we launching a Kickstarter?
Due to the tremendous growth of our community, our first space quickly became inadequate to support all the classes, projects, and equipment that our community wanted. So in July of 2014, we leased a fabulous 10,500 sq. ft. facility allowing us to offer even more classes, host more meetings, house more fabrication equipment, and grow and sustain our community for the next 5-7 years!
Moving to a large facility presents a number of challenges. First, due to the types of uses we seek to support, local building code required us to make a number of costly modifications to the facility to convert the space from its previous incarnation into a MAKERSPACE!
Our major renovation costs include:
- Architect and Engineering Services
- Construction of numerous classrooms to support multiple simultaneous activities including classes in Raspberry PI and Arduino programming, Prosthetics, robotics, 3D printing and Art Lab meetups and numerous build groups to name a few
- New electrical and ventilation to support our Matsuura Tiger CNC Mill, our 100 watt Laser Cutters, and our fully equipped Wood, Metal and Electronic shops
- New paint, carpet, fixtures and furniture throughout the facility
A significant portion of the needed funds have already been raised through grants, corporate sponsorships, and donations from our members and others, including Google, Comstock, Palantir and AOL, but your donation will help us complete the project and make Nova Labs 2.0 a reality!
The space is almost completed and even the floors are almost done!
Your donation will provide needed furniture and audio visual equipment for our classrooms to support the mission of our Makerspace. Here is a list of just some of the critically needed items:
- Tables
- Workbenches
- Chairs
- Conference Tables
- Collaboration pods
- AV Projectors
- Webcasting Station
Backer Rewards
Social Media Shoutout!
If Eternal Glory wasn't enough, we'll shoutout your name in abundant gratitude to hundreds of our followers. Be sure to tell us your twitter handle!
Nova Labs Sticker
Your Name Written by a Young Maker on a Featured Wall
Your name will be written on our 'Thanks For All The Fish!' wall by a Young Maker. Spelling and quality of handwriting cannot be guaranteed ;) !
Laser Cut and Etched Acrylic Key Chains
Show your support for Nova Labs everyday with these cool laser cut and etched acrylic key chains featuring the Nova Labs logo.
DM-1 Card Wallet
Nova Labs PCB Reference Ruler
Need a quick reference for surface mount sizing for your PCB designs as well as standard inches and centimeters? This PCB Ruler features the Nova Labs logo and will be your handy guide during those late night PCB design sessions.
Tech Orange on Black Nova Labs T-Shirt
Available in the following sizes: YS, YM, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and XXXL.
Sudo Man Page Signed by "SudoBob"
Nova Labs "Blinky" Board
Priority Registration for Popular Nova Labs Classes
Many of our classes are so popular they fill up quickly. Beat the crowds by contributing for a small private session and get expert training in Laser Cutting, Woodworking, CNC Machining, or Carbon Fiber Molding Making.
Teleconference with a Nova Labs Expert
One of our resident experts will be available for 1-2 hours for lectures, interviews, or 1 on 1 support on a variety of topics: Laser Cutting, 3D Printing Support and Tuning, Drone Design and Development, CNC, CAD, Starting a Makerspace, Robotics.
Nova Labs Flying Wing
The Nova Labs Flying Wing is a custom-designed RC wing created by our Rhinohawk team. It is easily customizable for autonomous flight.
- Laser-cut foam air frame
- Wooden motor mount
- Electronics (motor, speed controller, battery, servos)
- Various small parts to complete the plane
Name Our Work Tables, Benches, or Equipment
Your name will be featured on one of our work tables, benches, or pieces of shop equipment.
Founder, Benefactor and Sponsor Plaques
The Maker Experience!
Get your group of 10 people a customized half-day event featuring many aspects of the NoVA Labs Makerspace experience. You'll have hands on time with: 3-D printing, Laser cutting, Soldering projects, and Woodworking!
Fun for adults and kids of ALL ages.
More Info about Nova Labs
Nova Labs members are working on projects and starting companies that benefit the maker community and the world! Here are just a few!
Risks and challenges
We have donated or co-located equipment, which may break and need servicing. We have reserve funds to service equipment, but this may cause a delay in fulfillment.
We are an all-volunteer makerspace. In addition to supporting our operations, performing some of the renovation work, they will fulfill and ship back gifts. Due to schedules and operational needs, some delays may occur.
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