Why Pivot International is Sponsoring Make48

Pivot International  |   September 07, 2017

Competition shows are nothing new. Iron Chef, America’s Got Talent, Dancing with the Stars – they’re all entertaining in their own way.

Until recently, my single-source product design and manufacturing company, Pivot International, had little reason to be involved in anything related to reality TV.

That changed, however, when I heard about the new competition show Make48.

Make48 is a reality competition show that asks teams of inventors to conceptualize, prototype, and pitch a brand new product in just 48 hours. It’s a tall order, certainly, but high-pressure situations like these often have a way of spurring people to create great things. That’s a big part of why Pivot International signed on to sponsor this unique competition.

How does Make48 work?

Make48 brings together 15 teams of inventors to take their product from concept to prototype and pitch in 48 hours.

Contestants are given access to the latest technology, from CAD, or computer-aided design, programs, to 3D printers, to help them develop their designs to the highest standards possible within the incredibly limited time frame.

One of the best parts of the competition, in my opinion, is the mentoring that the teams receive. These inventors all receive advice and feedback from industry professionals – I’m lucky enough to be a judge this season – and inventors who’ve launched their own high-performing products.

That means that the Make48 experience is a valuable one to all the teams, regardless of whether they win or not.

Make48 showcases the ups, downs, and triumphs of the product development process

One of the things that I love about Make48 is that it really showcases how exciting it is to work on a new product, one the market has never seen before.

That’s why most of us in product development got into this business – because we enjoy the creativity and the challenges inherent in bringing a new product to market. During the planning phase, Make48 viewers get to watch the inventing teams work through the various challenges, changes, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles that strike every inventor, at some time or another, when they’re developing a new product – all on a vastly sped-up timeline.

Make48 can inspire other inventors to finally try to make their idea a reality

For every inventor who brings a product to market successfully, there are at least three more who have a great idea that will never see the light of day.

Think about it: how many of us know someone who has an idea for a product, or piece of software, or new process that they’ve been thinking about pursuing for years? Most people simply never do.

Watching teams of inventors – who run the gamut from experienced to complete novices – go through the entire product development process in just 48 hours is sure to be inspiring to people watching at home.

While not every product makes it successfully to the end, many do – and with every round of Make48, new products that were developed on the show are manufactured and distributed to major retailers.

But while Make48 does end, of course, in a success story, it doesn’t give inventors and product developers an unrealistic fantasy. There are many setbacks, many failures, and many difficult steps to get through along the way. Viewers of Make48 will come away with a strong sense of just how much dedication and hard work it takes to bring a product successfully to market.

I’m so proud to be connected to this innovative, fun, and unique competition. I look forward to many more years of Make48, and to seeing more inspiring inventors complete this exciting journey.