On Thursday, April 16, Nova Labs is launching a Kickstarter campaign (we’re even having a big party to celebrate and ‘pull the switch’ – sign up for updates here).

Until then, here’s a sneak peek of the campaign and some of the excellent backer gifts we have planned!

Who is Nova Labs?

Nova Labs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer makerspace in Northern Virginia.  We are a community of Makers which provides 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 charitable 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 2000 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 expand our programs, 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. Due to the types of uses we seek to support, local building code requires that we make a number of costly modifications to the facility to convert the space from its current form into a MAKERSPACE!

Our major renovation costs include:

• Architect and Engineering Services
• Construction of classrooms for up to 60 people
• New electrical and ventilation to support our Matsura Tiger CNC Mill, our Laser Cutters, Wood & Metal working equipment
• New paint, carpet, fixtures and furniture

Overseeing our buildout project is architecture and design firm VOA Associates who designed Google’s DC office.

A significant portion of the needed funds have already been raised through grants, corporate sponsorship (Including GOOGLE), and donations from our members, but we need additional support to help us complete the project. We need this Kickstarter to be successful to make our vision for Nova Labs 2.0 a reality!

STRETCH GOALS

In addition to the basic renovations, we have a number of stretch goals we are waiting to roll out. In order to help you get excited about getting past our initial goal and on to our stretch goals, we’re releasing our first stretch goal to whet your palate!

Stretch Goal #1: Welding Station

After our initial goal we hope to raise an additional $7,000 to support welding at Nova Labs.

The cost includes:

• Welding table
• Tig and Mig Welders
• Safety equipment (gloves, helmets, and shields)
• Ventilation

Backer Rewards

We are grateful for your help bringing this project to life. In addition to our heartfelt thanks, we are offering a variety of unique rewards at different pledge levels. Whether useful or just cool, we also hope these rewards will serve as an ongoing reminder of your support for Nova Labs.

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.

Carbon Fiber Money Clip

Whatever cash you don’t throw our way can be kept in this geek-approved carbon fiber money clip produced by makers from our materials lab!

DM-1 Card Wallet

 The DM1 is milled from a solid billet of 7075-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum. It weighs 0.8 ounces and holds up to 12 ID or credit cards. You’ll feel and hear a “click” when cards are inserted to let you know they are secure.

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 will feature 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

 Our striking logo and color scheme will catch the eye of envious makers and let them know you support one of the largest non profit all-volunteer makerspaces in the country!

Available in the following sizes: YS, YM, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and XXXL.

Sudo Man Page Signed by “SudoBob”

Bob Coggeshall (aka “SudoBob”) is a Nova Labs member, founder of Small Batch Assembly and is credited as the co-author of the sudo command. SudoBob will send you a signed copy of the sudo man page on card stock.

Nova Labs “Blinky” Board

The Nova Labs’ custom-designed Arduino-compatible microcontroller is finally ready to share. It is a great educational tool to help new makers learn Arduino!

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.

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.

Name Our Work Tables, Benches, or Equipment

Your name will be featured on one of our work tables, benches, or equipment.

Founder, Benefactor and Sponsor Plaques

 Backers contributing as Founding Contributors, Benefactors or Corporate Sponsors will receive this commemorative plaque. The plaque is laser engraved wood w/ acrylic cover. Your name will also be featured on a special wall at Nova Labs indicating your backer level!

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Thanks for reading so far

That’s just a preview of what’s to come. We have more backer gifts in store that we’re keeping as a surprise.

Sign up to receive updates on the campaign at www.nova-labs.org/kickstarter