Being proud of "Made in San Francisco" - The local Maker Movement

San Francisco is all about making and inventing stuff - but I got the impression that in most cases it is a digital product - an app. Therefore it is even cooler if people produce 'real' stuff here in San Francisco. One of them is Danielle Applestone - she is the CEO of Otherfab, a startup that is blending desktop hardware, simple software, and inclusive community to make design and manufacturing more accessible.

She is recently launched a Kickstarter campaign which is pretty successful and she is planning to open a production in the Mission District of San Francisco. And that is when people started asking: "Why San Francisco?" 

On Women 2.0 she explained why San Francisco is actually a great place to start production - while her friends with successful companies plan on moving their production a few states over:

"There are two main things that would keep me here and make me very proud to be a “made in SF” entrepreneur.

1. A culture of mentorship.

2. Support of the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“A culture of mentorship” means businesses helping each other make smart decisions and operate more efficiently. Yes, it goes against the competitive mindset, but I feel it’s better for our local economy to have 1000 small businesses than just a handful of large ones. We are in this together, and we should help each other.

Support of the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem.  This starts with children. It means more public resources for exploration of interests and skills; not just for those who can afford it (think public workshops and studios). It means bringing apprenticeships back into fashion and funding internships in all areas of the economy, not just high tech software. It means fostering closer connections between industry and schools, so that people understand what is possible and what is relevant."

Do you agree with her?