Success Story: i6 Challenge Awardee mHub, Driving the Chicago Region’s Hardware Innovation Sector

In 2016, EDA awarded an i6 Challenge grant to mHub, Chicago, to help them realize their vision of becoming a full-scale technology incubator with a primary focus on physical product development and hardware innovation for manufacturers and entrepreneurs.

The $500,000 EDA i6 investment was matched by $759,196 in cash, in-kind equipment, and labor, and gave mHub the capacity to expand across the Chicagoland area’s manufacturing sector.

mHub is achieving its goals by building out its network of maker spaces and fabrication labs to foster an ecosystem that enables manufacturers to develop technical solutions to their product and process challenges. Specifically, the goals of this EDA project include facilitating entrepreneurship, collaboration, and innovation; educating diverse populations in manufacturing; positioning mHub as “the” manufacturing innovation incubator for the region; and supporting members with resources to scale their businesses. These goals are helping their members along the continuum of product development, from concept to scale into the market.

Since its launch in 2017 and with the support of the i6 challenge grant, mHUB has grown exponentially.

To date, the mHUB community has grown to more than 650 active users producing incredible economic value: $19.5 million in revenue, $18.3 million in private investment, the launch of 235 products and the creation of over 350 jobs. We look forward to seeing how the incubator will continue to thrive and grow.