The Garage Launches Manufacturing Fund to Support Student-Founded Hardware & Medical Device Startups

The Garage has launched a new Manufacturing Fund to help student entrepreneurs overcome the financial barriers of producing physical products. The fund provides qualifying teams with awards up to $25,000 to cover critical expenses such as prototyping, tooling, and meeting minimum order quantities for initial manufacturing runs. Up to $100,000 in funding is available annually. 

Products that have launched out of The Garage, the University’s student entrepreneurship space, have included the Hubly Surgical Drill, which has saved thousands of lives across the country; the SteadyScrib Pen Set for patients with Parkinson’s disease; and the Springrose Adaptive Bra, designed for individuals with mobility challenges. Each had to overcome significant financial barriers to afford the tooling and minimum order quantities required by manufacturers to bring their products to market. 

The Garage’s new Manufacturing Fund aims to help more innovations make the jump from prototype to product. 

Since its inception, The Garage has provided a Prototyping Lab featuring 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, and electronic tools that allow any Northwestern student to design, test, and iterate early-stage prototypes without prior knowledge or experience with the equipment. While this makerspace provides extensive resources for experimentation, many teams face financial and logistical barriers when scaling beyond campus capabilities. The Manufacturing Fund is specifically designed to remove those barriers, helping student founders take their products from prototype to market-ready production. 

The Manufacturing Fund is open to student teams that have participated in Jumpstart, The Garage’s pre-accelerator program, or spent at least two consecutive quarters in Residency. Eligible teams must demonstrate customer demand, provide vendor quotes, and meet with The Garage staff to discuss timelines, costs, and milestones. This fund was made possible by the generous support of an anonymous donor committed to helping student innovators. Funding is available immediately to qualifying Northwestern students.