PCH International Ecommerce Platform, ShopLocket, Launches Blueprint: The First Media Brand Dedicated to Helping Hardware Startups

SAN FRANCISCO - (April 16, 2014) - There’s Buzzfeed for social content, StartupDigest for startup events, Flipboard for daily news and Thrillist for men’s lifestyle. There’s a go-to media brand for just about every market. But what about hardware?
 
Today PCH International ecommerce platform, ShopLocket, launches Blueprint, a new media brand and email digest for hardware entrepreneurs, packed with exclusive news, interviews, resources and guidance from leading industry experts. Until now, the information and guidance on how to succeed in the hardware space has been fragmented and inaccessible. Blueprint aims to solve this by being the definitive source entrepreneurs rely on for essential tips and expertise focused around the hardware movement. To sign up for the weekly digest, visit www.shoplocket.com.
 
With the rise of crowdfunding and prototyping with tools like 3D printing, the barrier to entering the hardware market has decreased in recent years. However, transforming a prototype into a consumer product brings an endless number of obstacles – from product design and manufacturing issues to retail sales strategies – that entrepreneurs often overlook or don’t have the tools to learn on their own. An estimated 50 to 70 percent of crowdsourced campaigns fail, and 56 percent of projects on Kickstarter alone do not raise the necessary funding, while 84 percent of even the top 50 most successful campaigns experience shipping delays. To improve this, ShopLocket has compiled the tools and resources dedicated to supporting hardware startups into one cohesive email digest.
 
Blueprint will offer industry insights on news and best practices, a massive collection of relevant resources and articles, a worldwide events calendar and the ability for readers to directly ask questions to Blueprint’s curated panel of high-level industry experts. Blueprint is meant to serve as the definitive online destination to support hardware entrepreneurs at every step of their journey, as they navigate the ins and outs of bringing a new product to market.
 
Blueprint will also include exclusive interviews from with founders of product companies and industry influencers that are fuelling the hardware ecosystem. Aspiring entrepreneurs will be able to learn from successful founders such as Chris Anderson, CEO of 3D Robotics and Marc Barros, Founder of Moment; as well as industry influencers such as Ben Kaufman, CEO of Quirky, and Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup.
 
The starting lineup of Blueprint interviews will include:
 
●      Chris Anderson, 3D Robotics
●      Julie Uhrman, CEO of Ouya
●      Dale Dougherty, President & CEO of Maker Media
●      Cyril Ebersweiler, Co-Founder of HAXLR8R
●      Kate Drane, Indiegogo
●      Ben Kaufman, CEO of Quirky
●      Liam Casey, Founder and CEO of PCH International
●      Brady Forrest, VP of Highway1
●      Tom Igoe, Co-Founder of Arduino
●      Bunnie Wang, BunnieStudios
●      Zak Homuth, Upverter
●      Nick Pinkston, SF Hardware Meetup
●      Michael Buckwald, Co-Founder/CEO of Leap Motion
●      Marc Barros, Moment
●      Scott Miller, Dragon Innovation
●      Eric Ries, The Lean Startup
●      Renee DiResta, Principal at OATV
 
“The launch of Blueprint will invoke a new wave of understanding and perspective around the hardware space,” said ShopLocket co-founder and CEO, Katherine Hague. “Our goal is to inspire creators who dream of being the next Steve Jobs – and give them the ammunition to help bring those goals within reach.”
 
Blueprint is one of the many steps that PCH International and ShopLocket are taking to make product design, manufacturing and sales a more seamless experience for entrepreneurs. Through Blueprint, entrepreneurs will have current tools, information and resources, to succeed in bringing a product to life. 
 
To subscribe or learn more about Blueprint, visit www.shoplocket.com.
 
About ShopLocket
ShopLocket was founded in late 2011 by Katherine Hague and Andrew Louis and acquired by PCH International in January 2014. ShopLocket is a platform for hardware entrepreneurs looking to bring innovative products to life and into the hands of visionary consumers. From a set of online resources to help entrepreneurs build a hardware startup, to an ecommerce platform to launch and take pre-orders on new products, ShopLocket is committed to supporting entrepreneurs at every stage of their product journey. www.shoplocket.com
 
About PCH International
PCH International creates, develops, and delivers the world’s best products for the world’s best brands. The Company, with over 4000 employees worldwide, offers transparent, sustainable product development and supply chain management services to a diverse range of clients, from Fortune 500s, to entrepreneurs and startups. PCH International was founded in 1996, and is headquartered in Cork, Ireland. The company has a major product innovation hub and incubator in San Francisco, California, and significant operations in Shenzhen, China. www.pchintl.com
 

Contact Information

Christina Shatzen

Account Manager

VSC for ShopLocket

christina@vscpr.com