What Crash Space does

Crash Space (CRASH Space, originally the Collaborative Research Association of Social Hacktivity) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hackerspace founded in 2009 and headquartered at 10526 Venice Blvd, Culver City, California. It operates a single physical facility offering members access to a diverse set of fabrication tools — including Bambu and MakerBot 3D printers, laser cutters, electronics and soldering stations, woodworking equipment, textiles/sewing machines, plotters (AxiDraw), and synthesizer/audio gear — and serves makers, artists, hackers, and privacy-conscious individuals in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

The organization's core offerings are structured around four pillars: (1) member tool access, (2) public classes and workshops on woodworking, visible mending, electronics, programming, and creative crafts, (3) community events including Tuesday meetups, art shows (RetroFutureSpective, ART.HAPPENS), CRASH Talks, and algorave programming, and (4) educational content such as the weekly Tuesday Sweep digital security curriculum and an extensive blog-based resource library dating to 2009. Member-driven software contributions include the CrashSlicer fork of Orca Slicer and the Deep Fried Neurons browser-based music synthesis project.

The business model combines annual membership dues (the only paid requirement for tool access), fees for ticketed classes processed through Eventbrite, and tax-deductible donations enabled by its nonprofit status (Tax ID/EIN 80-0807103). Marketing is community-led via the blog, Discord server, Google Groups discussion list, and in-person events. The organization has no disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, no patents, and no enterprise customers; it is governed as an independent nonprofit with a small staff (11-50) and active programming through 2026.

Name

Crash Space

Legal name

CRASH Space

Website

https://blog.crashspace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CRASH Space is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hackerspace founded in 2009 in Culver City, California, providing Los Angeles makers, artists, and hackers with shared access to fabrication tools, classes, and community events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual/membership-based dues required to access and use CRASH Space tools and facilities. Membership provides tool access rights.
2. Class and Workshop Fees: Fees charged for structured classes and workshops taught at the space, including topics like woodworking, visible mending, electronics, programming, and creative skills.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible financial contributions accepted as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations support community programming and space operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Crash Space is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hackerspace that provides members with access to a physical makerspace equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, electronics workstations, woodworking and textile tools. It runs public classes and workshops on woodworking, visible mending, electronics, programming, and creative skills, and provides a structured Tuesday Sweep digital security education program. Memberships, class fees, and donations support operations at the Culver City facility.

Product overview

Crash Space is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Los Angeles hackerspace providing a physical makerspace with tools, equipment, and educational programming. The core offerings include open-to-public classes and workshops, member-only tool access, community events and meetups, and digital security education resources. The organization operates as a collaborative community space rather than a software product company, focusing on hands-on making, electronics, 3D printing, woodworking, textiles, and personal digital security education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crash Space Facility and Tool Access Membership Annual membership granting access to the Culver City makerspace and its fabrication tools, including 3D printers (Bambu and MakerBot), laser cutters, electronics workstations, woodworking tools, textile/sewing equipment, soldering stations, and plotters. Membership is required to use the space's tools while most events and classes remain open to the public.
• Educational Classes and Workshops Ticketed classes and workshops open to the public covering woodworking, visible mending, sewing/textile crafts, wig styling, electronics, soldering, programming (Max/MSP, Python, Scratch), papercraft, and other maker skills. Registration is conducted via Eventbrite.
• CRASH Meetups and Community Events Public community gatherings including regular Tuesday meetups, hackathons, movie nights, special-interest meetups (e.g., Los Angeles Projector Swarm Meetup, algorave events), art shows (RetroFutureSpective, ART.HAPPENS), and CRASH Talks featuring external speakers.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EventbriteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent registration and ticketing platform for CRASH Space classes. Provides online class registration and payment processing for workshops.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Noisebridge: San Francisco-based nonprofit hackerspace offering shared tools, classes, and community events. Operates the same volunteer- and donation-supported model with a similar maker/artist/hacker membership base, making it the closest peer to CRASH Space in mission and structure.
• NYC Resistor: Brooklyn-based hackerspace providing shared fabrication tools, electronics workstations, and member-driven classes. Directly comparable to CRASH Space in its mix of 3D printing, electronics, and craft programming with a membership-funded model.
• Artisan's Asylum: Large Somerville, MA makerspace offering fabrication tools, workshops, and studio space for makers and artists. Operates a similar hybrid membership/class model with a broader industrial-arts footprint but a directly comparable community mission.
• HacDC: Washington DC-area hackerspace organized as a community workshop with shared tools and educational programming. Closely mirrors CRASH Space's nonprofit, member-funded, education-oriented hackerspace structure.
• The Crucible: Oakland-based nonprofit industrial arts education organization offering classes and access to fabrication tools (welding, woodworking, blacksmithing, ceramics). Comparable to CRASH Space in its nonprofit educational programming around making, though with a stronger industrial-arts focus.
• Dallas Makerspace: Large Texas-based nonprofit makerspace offering shared fabrication tools, classes, and community events. Operates a directly analogous membership-funded model serving a maker/artist/hacker community similar to CRASH Space.
• HiveBio: Seattle-area community biolab and makerspace combining shared lab/maker equipment with educational programming. Comparable to CRASH Space in its nonprofit community-workshop structure, though with a biotech specialization.
• Ace Monster Toys: Oakland-based nonprofit hackerspace offering shared tools, classes, and community programming for makers. Operates a directly analogous member-funded, education-oriented community-workshop model in the same California maker ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Maker Media (Make:): Established media and events company behind Make: Magazine and Maker Faire, serving the broader maker community. Not a direct community-space competitor but the dominant incumbent in the maker ecosystem that CRASH Space operates within.
• Fab Foundation: Nonprofit that supports the global Fab Lab network of digital fabrication labs. Comparable to CRASH Space in mission and nonprofit structure but operates at a much larger scale as a franchised/network model rather than a single community space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crashspaceLA
• GitHubgithub.com/crashspace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crash Space