Market Opportunity Analysis
Innovation and Makerspace feasibility assessment
The Made in DC Program was established in July of 2016. A component of this legislation required the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) to submit a report to the Mayor and the Council on Opportunities for establishing a District-sponsored Innovation Space and Marketplace. DMPED issued a solicitation and retained JS&A to conduct the analysis.
Client
Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED)
Service
Market Opportunity Analysis
Real Estate Impact
Location
Washington, DC
The scope of this analysis included assessing the local context, understanding best practices, developing Makerspace Programmatic Scenarios, recommending operations and site feasibility, understanding potential partners, and analyzing the potential economic impact of a city-sponsored Innovation Space and Marketplace.
Project Scope
Makerspace Market Analysis
Entrepreneurship Assessment
Opportunity Gap Analysis
Operational Assessment
Site Assessment
Makerspace Feasibility
JS&A conducted a market analysis of regional makerspaces and innovation hubs. This analysis determined the gap in supply of makerspaces and developed opportunities and scenario-based models to serve the makerspace industry. Following the analysis, JS&A conduced site-specific analysis for potential makerspaces in the District and assessed operating and business models.
This analysis is one of the first steps necessary to plan and develop the Innovation Space and Marketplace in the District. JS&A’s analysis and report directly helped DMPED and other District agencies understand and evaluate the opportunity at hand and make strategic decisions necessary to continue the process of developing a makerspace that will meet the District’s goals and stakeholder needs. JS&A’s recommendation to focus on an industry-specific makerspace to create sustainable operations has since been validated as many general, community-oriented makerspaces in the region have closed or drastically reoriented their operations since this analysis was conducted. The city has continued conversations about creating such a makerspace.
