Earlier this month, 40 New York entrepreneurs and startups came out for a pair of Futureworks Shops events in Brooklyn. As part of the Futureworks program, production spaces across the city are opening their doors to lead tours, host workshops and share insight into building a hardware business. Sign up for events (they’re free!) and learn more about the spaces (they’re local!).  

At Voodoo, CEO Max Friefeld and Director of Manufacturing Jim Allen explained how the 3D printing factory works. Voodoo provides fast, affordable printing, prototyping and design services for corporate clients like Mattel, Microsoft and Nickelodeon and product startups like BotFactory. This year they’ve raised more than $6 million to develop and refine robots that automate the printing. “We can operate around the clock,” Friefeld told CNBC. After the tour, Voodoo awarded two startups with $300 in printing credits. The winners were Erum Azeez Khan’s Memory Lane, an Alexa-enabled IoT platform, and Joan Demskey, an apparel designer.

Craftman Ave’s workshop focused on the fundamental challenges facing product startups. Facilitators Taras Kravtchouk and JC Jung challenged attendees to explain their value proposition, differentiate themselves from the competition, create compelling pitches and clearly communicate product functionalities. Kravtchouk is founder of Gowanus-based Craftsman Ave and design agency Gravity Hill and Jung is a venture partner at Union Square-based Spark Labs.