Hardware Startups x Machining Shops #2: Manufacturing Partnerships That Break Through the Productization Wall

The second installment of a series that connects hardware startups with Japan's small machining shops (machi koba). Following the first edition held in May 2026, it addresses the productization wall that founders run into: where a given design can actually be made, and how to communicate intent to skilled craftspeople. The program has three parts. Part one is a discussion on making use of the ecosystem around hardware startups, introducing the Haneda Asahi project on the site of the former Haneda Asahi elementary school and the work of the Monozukuri Collective, with strategies for not carrying tooling, materials sourcing and factory search alone. Part two continues the well-received themes of the first edition ("machining shops are not scary", "seed-stage mistakes and how to avoid them") and goes deeper into concrete mass-production failures, the link between fundraising and manufacturing partnerships, and productization successes and failures. Speakers will be announced later. Part three is a networking session bringing together buyers, hardware startups and machining shops in one room. The venue is Square1 on the first floor of Tokyo Innovation Base, attendance is free and capacity is 50. Entry requires a TIB membership QR code, so registration through the membership app in advance is expected. Co-hosted by Prime Life Technologies Corporation and TIB FAB.