HackerspaceSG is Singapore’s very own Hackerspace.
There are hundreds of such hackerspaces around the world, where people with common interests in computers, technology, science, engineering, and digital and electronic art, come together to meet, work, socialise and collaborate.
Built by and for geeks, nerds, inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs, HackerspaceSG is the Singapore hacker community’s home, living room and laboratory. Come hang out with the community in the evenings. Co-work with us during the day. We also host regular events, meetups, presentations, workshops, and movie nights for the local community.
HackerspaceSG was also Singapore’s first co-working space. Since then, many more have appeared. While members are still able to co-work at HackerspaceSG, we try to stick to our roots of primarily being a space for the communities we serve.
The mother of co-working space here is Hackerspace.sg, which paved the way in 2009.
When founder Wong Meng Weng returned to Singapore in 2008 after spending several years in the United States starting and selliing a tech start-up, he found there was no place where geeks like himself could gather.
That led to Hackerspace in Bussorah Street. Initially, it was a place for geeks to gather and network but soon evolved into a co-working space where people asked for fixed desks.
“We’re selective, we cater only to tech start-ups. Our focus is networking, being experimental and creative. We see ourselves as the larval stage of a start-up,” said Mr Wong.
“Tech developers come here, meet others, hook up, quit their jobs and start their own projects at Hackerspace.”
— The Straits Times (28 March 2013)
No community is complete without a meeting place. Hackerspace, a clubhouse for geeks in Bussorah Street, aims to do just this. Described as the Zouk of geekdom, it was started by JFDI’s Mr Wong. Visiting and local software engineers, founders and investors drop in to hang out with geeks, chat about new ideas or even scout for new hires.
— The Straits Times (14 August 2011)
DIY enthusiasts are also flocking to Hackerspace, a clubhouse for tinkerers and hackers in a Bussorah Street shophouse.
Since its inception in late 2009, Hackerspace now has a 300-strong mailing list and has grown from an initial 24 members to more than 60.
They pay between $32 and $512 for using the space, from a casual basis to permanent access seven days a week.
— The Straits Times (05 May 2011)
HACKERS in Singapore are being given the chance to come out of the shadows and hang out with like- minded people in a clubhouse of sorts, where they can sharpen their skills and think up innovative projects.
Home for the clubhouse, to be called Hackerspace SG, will be in a 1,100 sq ft shophouse at 70A Bussorah Street. It will be open round the clock.
…
For Mr Wong, the leader of the group, Hackerspace will be a spot where hackers and other geeks can congregate, exchange ideas and come up with cool applications – all legal, of course.
He said: “The usual office culture does not foster innovation.
“Our schools create workers, not innovators, and a lot of offices smack of the 9 to 5 mentality, which does not help people innovate.”
He added that he sees the new clubhouse as a “combination of living room, science lab, and shared office space for the geek community”.
Eventually, he hopes, a community of experienced, passionate hackers will be formed, and they can pass on the tricks of the trade to others who may be interested.
— The Straits Times (14 December 2009)
