Teams are given the product and with a whistle blow the 48 hour inventor competition begins!
After the hardware store dash the teams are given five minutes in front of a select group. They pitch their initial product ideas and get feedback to put them on the right track.
Assisted by Tool Techs and Mentors and equipped with all types of tools from 3D printers, laser cutters , computer driven routers, to hammers and nails, prototypes begin to take shape. Teams construct and test their prototypes and begin work on all the pitch materials including product video, sales sheets, marketing ideas and more.
Prior to the final judging teams provide a sneak peek of their product to the judges and manufacturers in a 2-minute lightening round of pre-judging. Is the product unique? Does it have wow factor? Will it sell itself? Is it feasible for manufacturing based on costs and complexity?
The final pitches begin! The teams present their products and creative marketing ideas to the judges in front of an auditorium full of people. Only three of our 17 product prototypes will win the opportunity to continue the challenging journey to marketplace.
Top US design firms are tasked with redesigning our winning products. New prototypes are made and tested. Our top three teams are given a breakdown of all the work put into redesigning and prototyping their ideas. The teams react to all the weeks and months of professional work that has been done so far on they 48 hour prototype.
The mentors give valuable marketing the merchandising insight. Professional marketing companies from around the United States are brought in to help craft the marketing and merchandising ideas for their products. The products are getting closer to the rigors of public debut through crowdfunding.
The products are shown to a select few buyers. Next stop San Francisco to meet campaign strategists at IndieGoGo a global online crowdfunding platform. With all of the feedback and the information that has been gathered the products are ready for their crowdfunding debut. Months after the initial 48 hour event the final prototypes meet the most demanding judge, the public!
Learn the product challenge. Begin to meet the teams, the experts and the mentors of the competition. Commence with the brainstorming process, patent searches, and more…
Times up. Time to pitch and present the product ideas to the panel of real industry judges. The judges will then deliberate behind closed doors (with cameras of course) and the three winners will be announced!
The three winning ideas begin the challenging road to market. Prototypes are fine tuned with industry design firms. Bugs are worked out and features improved all under the pressure of manufacturing challenges and ultimate retail price point.
The prototyping and fine tuning continues with real industry experts. We learn many aspects of the process and technology that goes into product creation such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and much more.
The critical process begins of marketing strategies, packaging, product video creation, social media strategies and more.
In episode nine the marketing process continues as we follow all three products and specific team members through the process.
We get a first-hand immersion in the world of product tradeshows including the Consumer Electronics Show, The National Toy Show and the National Hardware Show. The series culminates with the finely tuned products being unveiled and presented to some of the retail product industry's biggest buyers.
Launch of the 48 hour invention competition. Learn the product challenge. Begin to meet the teams, the experts and the mentors of the competition. Commence with the brainstorming process, patent searches, and more…
Prototyping and fine tuning continues with real industry experts. We learn many aspects of the process and technology that goes into product creation such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and much more.
Manufacturing techniques are explored, and experts are consulted. As the Make48 team continues to refine the three winning products.
The teams get hands on with their new prototypes and give their feedback
The teams get marketing advice and discuss strategies for launching the products. The Make48 Team gives a final update on the journey of the three products.
We meet our 10 teams with detailed back story. The teams learn the challenge and the rules and the whistle blows and the 48 hour countdown begins.
The teams learn the challenge and the rules and 48 hour countdown begins. It's all work and a lot of play! We dive into the creative process and the business of INVENTING a product. The teams meet with the mentors and tool techs, as well as the patent attorneys.
The teams go on a one hour supply run in a hardware store to gather the materials to create their invention. When they return, the building begins!
We dive deep into the hands-on brainstorming and prototyping stage.
The 10 teams pitch their products to a panel of expert judges. The judges deliberate and $10,000 is awarded to the top team.
Times up! It’s time to meet the judges. The 10 teams pitch their products to a panel of expert judges. The judges deliberate and $10,000 is awarded to the top team.
The top two teams from four separate Make48 competitions meet up in Wichita Kansas for the Make48 Nationals! We meet the teams and they announce the product category!
The whistle has blown and the teams are on the clock! Join us as they brainstorm ideas, meet with the patent attorneys, and even start to build their products!
The teams head to a local hardware store to buy supplies, and then the building begins!
The teams pitch their ideas to a focus group of kids and parents! Then they refine their ideas and continue building.
As the the clock ticks the teams still have a lot to do! Now they must take what they learned in the focus group and get to work!
The teams continue to build their products, but now they shift their focus their presentations, pitch videos, and sales sheets!
Time is up! Now our teams pitch their ideas to a panel of experts!
The judges deliberate and a Make48 Winner is announced!
The winning product is developed by industry professionals, then we check in with some industry experts to get their opinion of the newly developed product!
The team gets hands on with their new prototype! We wrap up this season and discuss next steps!