As many founders have learned, having a great idea is only the first step to launching a successful startup. You need capital, you need employees, and you need a good location. But once you have all that under your belt, you still need to find a way to develop your product. Fortunately for you, Local Motors has launched a new platform that will make creating quality products and growing your entrepreneurial skills easier than ever.
Dubbed Forth, this platform is a crowd-powered, Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that enables companies to transform and digitize their product development process using co-creation and micro-manufacturing. The launch should prove to advance product development on everything from small appliances to cargo drones for startups around the world.
“The launch of Forth is a proud moment for me as it demonstrates to the world that co-creation and micro-manufacturing of vehicles is leading the way for rapid product development and commercialization across many other industries,” said John B. Rogers, Jr., cofounder and CEO of Local Motors in a press release. “The time is now for digital and industrial to come together in products that delight us and make our world better.
Not only is the technology in Forth going to revolutionize how products get developed, but it also speaks to the professional model of Local Motors. They have used co-creation and micro-manufacturing to put their company on the map, with the Rally Fighter, the world’s first co-created vehicle; the Strati, the first 3D-printed car; and most recently Olli, the first cognitive, autonomous vehicle with IBM Watson technology. And if they can change the automotive landscape, what’s next?
“The last century of manufacturing is not fit for the products of the next century, and Forth is showing the world that if we can change the vehicle industry to incorporate a digital future in its process and products, then we can do the same in every industry across the world,” said Rogers.
The importance of this kind of platform is more than obvious. As technology improves, more and more great ideas are falling by the wayside because they can’t compete with more technologically savvy competitors. With Forth, even the dimmest startup founders will be able to turn their genius idea into a reality. And that’s good for business.
“We believe that if you ignore the world when you develop products, the world will ignore your products,” said Elle Shelley, executive vice president of Forth and Local Motors CMO in the same press release. “The goal of Forth is to empower as many ideas and people as possible – inside and outside of corporate America and around the world.”
If you’re interested on hearing more about Local Motors and their revolutionary new platform, make sure to come to Innovate! and Celebrate next week. Justin Fishkin, chief strategy officer at Local Motors, will be giving a talk about sustainability and the shifting automotive landscape that will put everything in perspective.