MakerBot Wants You to Buy a Teacher a 3D Printer – Crowdfunding

Bre Pettis was the first kid on his block to get an Apple II computer. The device was intriguing, and all his neighborhood friends tinkered with it endlessly even though it served little practical purpose. Pettis went on to start 3D-printing company MakerBot Industries (SSYS), and he sees its products in the same light: They may seem silly at first, but the kids will figure them out.

Teachers who want one can log on to http://www.donorschoose.org, a crowdfunding site for schools, and describe what they would do with the printer. They’re allowed to raise all but $98 on the site; the rest they’ll have to come up with offline, either by paying for it themselves or getting the PTA or parents to chip in. This kind of not-quite-fully funded grant lessens the chances of the printers going to waste, according to Pettis.

By Joshua Brustein

Full Story: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-12/makerbot-wants-you-to-buy-a-teacher-a-3d-printer#r=hpt-fs