2025 Humanmade
Hardware Accelerator

 Join our 2025 cohort of California startups 

Humanmade is the largest Bay Area hardware accelerator focused on early-stage, hard tech startups, with an emphasis on under-represented founders.  Within our 13,000 square foot facility we offer high-end equipment, skilled technical support, sunny coworking space, and a deep community of innovators and mentors.  We excel at bringing ideas to life, from sketch to prototype to realized product and as a non-profit, we take no equity.

Our value is built around 3 main pillars: 

  1. Technical Training & Tools: hands-on design and prototyping support

  2. Community: networking and co-working

  3. Business Growth: fundamentals from marketing to financing

Throughout the Accelerator program, each company can expect to develop a catalog of assets and skills in each area that will fuel their unique product and team.

We also offer opportunities to stay and grow with Humanmade after completing the Accelerator program as well as connection to the network of California iHubs, and exclusive funding streams.  The Accelerator teams are just one aspect of our innovation community, where founders, job seekers, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs contribute to a creative ecosystem.


Technical Training & Tools 

Our industrial shops include all the machines, tools and space needed to support hardware development from an idea, through design, prototype, testing and design for manufacturing.  Technical training and equipment are the foundation of the Accelerator program, which provides full access to the hardware, software and onsite experts necessary to support your product development.  Resources include: 

  • Wood Shop, Metal Shop, Digital Fabrication Shop, Sewing & Textiles, & Electronics

  • Training courses for every machine

  • Expert advisory Staff onsite

  • On-demand contract workforce for hire within the community of trained shop users


Community 

Humanmade brings together a variety of programs in the same space, making it a unique and inspiring place to work, where you won’t get lost in a sea of startups all grinding towards a common deadline. 


Business Growth 

Humanmade is partnering with Silicon Valley In Your Pocket to provide a program in business fundamentals tailored specifically to hardware startups.  Through the course of 8 guided units, each company will develop the legal documents, marketing strategy, growth strategy, pitch deck, and financial summaries to be investor ready and growth ready.  The program will include in-person workshops for peer-to-peer learning, self-guided learning modules, and support from a network of mentors.  With SVIYP’s experience supporting over 2500 companies, this partnership will fuel all aspects of business development.


Participant Benefits 

Accelerator companies can expect to exit our program with a formally designed and prototyped product, a roadmap to manufacturing and production, and a rock-solid business foundation including legal paperwork, marketing strategy, and financial summaries that make your business investor ready and on track for growth.  To get there, the program includes: 

  • Free dedicated desk space in our sunny co-working space

  • Onsite design and fabrication experts

  • Workspace and workshop access 

  • Free technical trainings to operate all workshop machines

  • Free membership to Humanmade

  • Free step-by-step business fundamentals program

  • Structured business coaching, goal setting and formal deliverables

  • Access to exclusive funding streams

  • Free reciprocal membership to all Studio 45 co-working and machine spaces

  • Discounted membership to the Informal network of contract engineers, designers, and marketers

  • Exclusive connection to our network of members, mentors and advisors

  • Access to on-demand contract workforce of trained shop operators

  • Presentation and promotion to a public audience at our celebrated Demo Day

Program Cycle 


Application: Rolling Admissions Until Program Is Full, With A Cutoff On April 15, 2025

Onboarding: Accelerator Teams Will Co-locate At Humanmade By May 3, 2025 For Orientation Week

Technical Training Immersive: 3-month Focus On Hardware Design And Development, Machine And Software Training Courses, Product/market Discovery, And Hands-on Advising

Business Growth: 8-unit Structured Course On Business Fundamentals With Our Partner Organization: Silicon Valley In Your Pocket

Demo Day: Public Presentation And Celebration Of All Cohort Companies, October 2025