Episode #26 Build, Share, Repeat: How Makerspace and ihopa Enable Hardware for the Masses

Alexander Engl joins the pod to talk about Stockholm Makerspace – a member-run 24/7 creative hub that empowers hardware builders, tinkerers and early-stage founders to bring physical ideas to life, without public funding or gatekeepers. We explore how the space grew to 1000+ members, how it's staying independent in a soft money ecosystem, and why shared tools are critical infrastructure for Nordic innovation.

Alexander also shares lessons from ihopa – a startup built around shared product access – and what it taught him about scaling physical systems in a world still wired for ownership.

In this episode:

✅ How ihopa is reshaping access to high-quality tools and gear

✅ Why physical tech needs physical infrastructure

✅ The underrated power of maker communities

✅ Why most public innovation funding is missing the point

✅ What Sweden’s startup ecosystem can learn from Berlin, Vienna and beyond

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