TechShop, Inc. is a Silicon Valley firm that runs an expanding chain of membership-based shops, featuring a wide array of equipment and computer workstations for designing, prototyping and manufacturing a wide array of items. TechShop is a place designed for inventors, innovators and ‘makers’, working alone and with others. A typical TechShop ‘shop’ is 20,000 square feet of space (the size of a medium supermarket) chock full of a wide array of equipment, including metal working, cutting, shaping, welding, electronics, fabrics and textiles, woodworking and 3D printers, along with the computer workstations and assorted software needed to manage CAD/CAM (computer assisted design/computer assisted manufacturing) and CNC (computer numerical controlled) execution. TechShop appeals to hobbyist and inventor alike. More can be found at www.techshop.com.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, through the efforts of its VAi2 (Veterans Affairs innovation initiative), has secured two thousand, one-year memberships in select TechShop, Inc. locations. These memberships will be given away free to qualified Veterans. You will need to pay for any materials you use at TechShop, but they can be purchased anywhere. These are full, one-year memberships, plus $350 in additional classes, with a total value of approximately $1,500.

The initial Veterans memberships will be for two locations, one of which is Allen Park, Michigan. More locations will be added later, so please check back if you are not located in these two areas. These free memberships are limited and will be awarded over the next two years.

To be considered for a membership in Allen Park, please email VetTechShop@va.gov with your full name only. Do not include any other personal information, such as Social Security Number or home telephone. Include in your email a brief statement (fifty words or less, and bullet points are fine) how you would use and benefit from a one-year TechShop membership.

The Department of Veteran Affairs will make selection decisions. TechShop does not decide who will be enrolled.

Anyone chosen for a membership will be contacted by email and required to provide proof of Veteran status to the Department of Veterans Affairs before enrollment.

It is highly recommended that you tour the TechShop location before applying. The tour will allow you to see the array of machinery and IT that will be available. If you would like a tour, simply call our location and ask for a “Veterans Program Tour”.

TechShop – Detroit
800 Republic Drive
Allen Park, Ml 48101

Phone: (313)583-3831

These memberships are limited, so apply soon.

Thank you for your past and ongoing service to our nation.

VA/TechShop Veterans Program