HACDC
HacDC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit hackerspace in Washington, DC, providing a shared workshop with 3D printers, laser cutters, electronics tools, and ham radio to roughly 17-24 paying individual members through monthly dues, donations, and community-led workshops.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What HACDC does
HacDC (the Capital Hackerspace) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community organization founded in Washington, DC around 2007-2008, positioning itself as the nation's second-oldest hackerspace alongside Noisebridge and NYC Resistor. It operates a single physical workshop located inside St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, equipped with 3D printers (Lulzbot Mini, Prusa Mendel, Cupcake Makerbot), a laser cutter, a CNC mill, electronics workbenches, a PCB etch mill, and an amateur radio station. The space hosts recurring open houses (Microcontroller Mondays, 3D Thursdays), topical workshops (software-defined radio, All About Circuits, lockpicking, cryptocurrency, cybersecurity/Cryptoparty, Capture the Flag), and a roster of member-led projects including high-altitude ballooning (Spaceblimp), mesh networking (Byzantium), laser cutter development (LASER), and biosignal amplification (GrindDC). The organization also maintains ImplicitCAD, a free open-source web-based 2D/3D parametric design tool.
The business model is membership-based and non-commercial. HacDC derives the bulk of its operating income from monthly member dues, supplemented by donations (including Combined Federal Campaign contributions as CFC charity #32991) and occasional fundraising events. With 17-24 active paying members generating roughly $1,117.50/month against approximately $1,642/month in expenses, the organization runs a structural deficit funded out of cash reserves that have ranged from $4,000 to $13,712. Customer segments are primarily individual makers, hobbyists, and technology enthusiasts, with secondary work exploring students, educators, and institutional partners (DC Public Schools, DC Department of Employment Services, Nation of Makers). Go-to-market is community-led: word-of-mouth, Discord, Meetup, a public mailing list, and an internal wiki drive membership recruitment, with no paid sales or marketing function.
HACDC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HACDC
- Legal name
- HacDC
- Website
- https://hacdc.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- HacDC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit hackerspace in Washington, DC, providing a shared workshop with 3D printers, laser cutters, electronics tools, and ham radio to roughly 17-24 paying individual members through monthly dues, donations, and community-led workshops.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HACDC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Makerspace / Hackerspace Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Remote Access, Virtual Workspaces & Digital HQ (BPAMAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community/Group Chat Platforms (BPAMACAH), Production Asset Collaboration (shared bins, proxies, live collaboration) (MPAHANAG)
Keywords
Where HACDC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
HACDC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Monthly membership fees from paying members provide the primary recurring revenue stream. Members pay monthly dues for 24/7 access to the space and equipment. Historical data shows approximately $1,117.50/month from 24 paying members, with a burn rate of $1,642/month creating a deficit.
- Donations: HacDC accepts monetary donations from members and the public. They are a 501c(3) non-profit eligible for CFC (Combined Federal Campaign) donations. Historical donations include $550 from 2016 CFC season and various PayPal/direct donations.
- Event Donations: Occasional fundraising events such as bar tab nights (e.g., Exiles on U Street fundraiser donating 5% of sales) generate additional revenue through voluntary contributions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard membership with 24/7 space access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
HACDC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HacDC operates a shared community hackerspace in Washington, D.C., providing members 24/7 access to a physical workshop equipped with 3D printers, a laser cutter, CNC mill, PCB etch mill, electronics workbenches, and an amateur radio station. The space hosts recurring open-house nights, hands-on workshops (software-defined radio, electronics, cybersecurity, lockpicking, Bitcoin), and community project groups (Project Spaceblimp, Project LASER, Project Byzantium, Capture the Flag). It also maintains the open-source ImplicitCAD web design tool and runs community events such as Tech Circus.
Product overview
HacDC is The Capital Hackerspace, the nation's second-oldest hackerspace located in Washington, DC. It operates as a community makerspace providing workshop facilities, tools, and equipment (including 3D printers, laser cutters, ham radio stations, and PCB mills) alongside regular open house events (Microcontroller Mondays, 3D Thursdays), workshops (software-defined radio, electronics, cybersecurity/Cryptoparty, lockpicking, Bitcoin), and competitions (Capture the Flag). The organization runs multiple active projects including Project Spaceblimp (high-altitude ballooning), Project LASER (laser cutter), Project Byzantium (mesh networking), and maintains equipment like the Prusa Mendel and Lulzbot Mini 3D printers. HacDC also provides ImplicitCAD, a free open-source web-based 2D/3D design tool.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HacDC Hackerspace Membership A monthly membership providing 24/7 access to HacDC's shared workshop in Washington, DC, including all available tools and equipment (3D printers, laser cutter, CNC mill, electronics workbenches, amateur radio station) for individual makers, hobbyists, and technology enthusiasts. Multiple tiers exist including student memberships and grandfathered rates.
- Microcontroller Mondays Open House Recurring weekly open-house event on Monday evenings focused on microcontrollers, coding, and electronics projects. Open to members and visitors, providing an entry point for potential membership.
- 3D Thursdays Open House
- Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Workshop Online workshop introducing the world of Software-Defined Radio using GNU Radio, including hardware demonstrations for broadcasting FM radio signals, delivered as a Meetup-hosted HacDC event.
- All About Circuits Seminar Recurring seminar working through electronics projects and experiments from the All About Circuits free online textbook, covering basic concepts, test equipment, batteries, and voltage dividers.
- HacDC Amateur Radio Club
- Tech Circus Public technology demonstration and showcase event featuring DIY technology including 3D printing, VR, and meetups with hackers and makers from the DC area, hosted by HacDC at venues such as Dupont Underground.
- HacDC Cryptoparty
- Capture the Flag
- Lockpicking Classes
- Metasploit Workshop
- Introduction to Bitcoin Workshop
- ImplicitCAD
- Project Spaceblimp
- Project LASER
- Project Byzantium
Companies that use HACDC
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
HACDC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
HACDC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- PAR Recycle WorksminorPartnership with PAR Recycle Works, an electronic recycling facility in Philadelphia, for reducing e-waste while educating the community about Linux and technology. HacDC members Kevin, Tayeb, and others visited the facility and discussed potential programming classes collaboration.
- TOOOL-DCminorThe Open Organization of Lockpickers (TOOOL) DC chapter meets monthly at HacDC for lockpicking workshops and training. This partnership provides educational lockpicking content and attracts enthusiasts to the space.
- St. Stephen's Episcopal ChurchcoreHacDC's physical space is hosted inside St. Stephen's Episcopal Church at 3333 14th St NW. The church provides the venue in exchange for rent payments, creating a community partnership within the Columbia Heights neighborhood.
- Nation of MakersminorHacDC maintains a partnership with the Nation of Makers organization for outreach, networking, and collaboration with the broader US maker community. Ken has facilitated introductions to the Nation of Makers for potential partnerships.
- Beltway HackersminorBeltway Hackers collaborated with HacDC to host a Metasploit workshop at the space, providing cybersecurity education and training resources.
- DC Public SchoolsminorKevin and Ken have engaged with DC Public Schools librarians to introduce HacDC and discuss potential field trips and programs for students. Previous efforts involved aquaponics projects at Anacostia High School and summer programs in Ward 8.
- DC Department of Employment Services (DOES)minorKevin and Ken attended quarterly stakeholder meetings at DOES, exploring potential collaboration through the DC Infrastructure Academy (DCIA) for workforce development and maker education programs.
- Wiki Media FoundationminorPotential collaboration to host Wikipedia editing sessions at HacDC, engaging HacDC participants with the Wikimedia community.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
HACDC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Noisebridge: San Francisco hackerspace founded around 2007-2008 alongside HacDC as one of the original three US hackerspaces. Operates a similar member-supported community workshop model with shared tools and member-led technical projects.
- i3 Detroit: Community hackerspace in Detroit providing shared workspace, tools, and member-driven projects structured similarly to HacDC as a member-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit makerspace.
- Artisan's Asylum: Large community makerspace in Somerville, MA providing shared tools, workshops, and member-driven projects comparable to HacDC's model, but operating at significantly larger scale (~40,000 sq ft) with broader programming.
- NYC Resistor: New York hackerspace also founded in 2007-2008 as one of the original three US hackerspaces. Offers shared workshop space, member-driven technical projects, and educational events in a directly comparable community model.
- HeatSync Labs: Community hackerspace in Mesa, AZ offering shared workspace and tools for makers, structured comparably to HacDC as a volunteer-run community workshop with member-supported funding.
Regional players
- Baltimore Node: Community hackerspace in Baltimore, MD serving the mid-Atlantic region with shared workshop space and member-driven projects comparable to HacDC's offerings in a neighboring geography.
- Nova Labs: Reston, VA hackerspace and makerspace serving the greater Washington DC metropolitan area. Directly comparable in offering shared workshop tools, member-led projects, and STEM-education programming within the same regional market.
Broad incumbents
- Make Community: National maker community and media organization (Make: Magazine, Maker Faire) operating much more broadly in the maker space than HacDC but addressing the same target audience of hobbyists, educators, and community builders.
Others
- Nation of Makers: National nonprofit trade organization supporting US makerspaces including HacDC. Not a direct operator but serves as an umbrella body, convener, and advocacy channel for organizations like HacDC.
Emerging players
- HiveBio: Community biotechnology lab in Seattle operating as a shared community workspace comparable to HacDC's model but specialized for biology (DIY bio equipment, lab access, classes) rather than general making.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HACDC social profiles
Digital presenceHACDC compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
HACDC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HACDC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
HACDC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HACDC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HACDC
What does HACDC do?
HacDC operates a shared community hackerspace in Washington, D.C., providing members 24/7 access to a physical workshop equipped with 3D printers, a laser cutter, CNC mill, PCB etch mill, electronics workbenches, and an amateur radio station. The space hosts recurring open-house nights, hands-on workshops (software-defined radio, electronics, cybersecurity, lockpicking, Bitcoin), and community project groups (Project Spaceblimp, Project LASER, Project Byzantium, Capture the Flag). It also maintains the open-source ImplicitCAD web design tool and runs community events such as Tech Circus.
Is HACDC a public or private company?
HACDC is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was HACDC founded?
HACDC was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is HACDC based?
HACDC is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does HACDC make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are donations and event Donations.
Who are HACDC's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Noisebridge, i3 Detroit, Artisan's Asylum, NYC Resistor and HeatSync Labs. Regional players are Baltimore Node and Nova Labs. Make Community is listed as a broad incumbent. Nation of Makers is listed as an others. HiveBio is listed as an emerging player.
Does HACDC have an API?
No public API is recorded for HACDC.
What industry is HACDC in?
HACDC's product category is Community Makerspace / Hackerspace Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAMAL, Remote Access, Virtual Workspaces & Digital HQ, with a secondary code of BPAMACAH, Community/Group Chat Platforms. Its NAICS code is 561920 and its SIC code is 7370.