Prototyping
A prototype asks a question and reduces an uncertainty. We work to produce understanding.
Request a meetingA working framework
Four levels of prototype, one workshop on site and a network of specialized labs across Quebec.
Three stages
Scoping, support, then the close.
Understand before you build
The teams we meet almost always have prototypes in hand. What holds a project back, in the large majority of the cases we see, is that no one has decided what question each prototype is meant to answer.
A prototype is a way to ask a question and reduce an uncertainty, a way to learn fast and decide well. We work to produce understanding, and to spare you the prototypes that teach you nothing.
Teams move through a hardtech project in phases, with very different levels of uncertainty and commitment at each one. As the team questions, tests and learns, the uncertainty falls and the decisions get firmer.
Prototype with us
You are developing a hardtech product, and one uncertainty is blocking the next decision. We open an engagement in three situations.
You have an idea to de-risk
The concept holds promise, and you have yet to write down the hypotheses. We start by clarifying the need and the risks, before anyone builds.
Before you buildYour prototypes have stopped teaching you anything
The versions pile up while the questions stay open. Each iteration costs time and money without producing a decision.
Mid-projectYou are preparing a move to real conditions
The pilot is close. You validate the need in field conditions, and you document what you have demonstrated before you commit the engineering.
Before the pilotFour levels of prototype
Each level answers a different question. These are bearings rather than rules: a project can stay at one level for a long time, or skip one.
Understand
Clarify the need, assess the risks, write down the hypotheses before you build.
Learn
Test a hypothesis, reduce an uncertainty, understand what fails.
Validate
Meet real conditions in the field: observe, listen, adjust.
Commit
Structure, validate, industrialize. At this change in maturity, the team moves from prototyping to a manufacturable product.
Our process, in three stages
01Scoping
We establish where the product actually stands, the key questions to resolve, and the path from point A to point B.
Opening02Support
Product roadmap: what you do, what we do, what we do together. We build a responsibility matrix that sets out each role.
Ongoing03Close
We validate the scope of the engagement formally, against the phase-gate criteria we set at the start.
CloseOur workshops and partner labs
Our workshop
3D printing, electronics and mechanical assembly. The prototyping team works on site, alongside the founders in the workshop at Ax.C.
- Access
- Hours at a reduced rate
- Duration
- The whole support period
- Team
- Prototyping on site
The partner labs
We cover materials testing and characterization, controlled environments, certification and regulatory approval, advanced manufacturing, and sector test benches. We negotiate the access and we point the way, and the company schedules its work directly with the lab.
- Coverage
- All six sectors
- Fees
- Depending on the lab and use
Frequently asked questions
How much does a prototyping engagement cost?
CA$150 an hour for an engagement outside a program, and CA$80 an hour for a company we support in Incubation or Croissance.
How does billing work?
An engagement outside a program has a defined scope, staged in milestones: you pay an opening amount at signature, then we bill monthly for the hours worked. For a company we support, we split an estimated bank of hours into work phases and objectives, and we add the billing to the monthly support fee.
What happens if the scope grows?
We share the hour tracking with you, and we extend the agreement in writing. The volume of hours follows the work as it actually runs rather than the opening estimate.
Does Garage&co take equity in the companies?
No. Garage&co takes no equity in the companies it supports. We build with you, and the project stays yours.
Who can use the workshop?
Companies in Incubation and Croissance use the workshop as part of their program, and Connect includes the tour.
Who decides which lab to use?
The Garage Readiness Level identifies the equipment the current stage calls for, and our prototyping team points the company to the right infrastructure. We prepare the introductions, and the companies then schedule their work directly with the lab.
Do the partner labs charge fees?
Yes, depending on the lab and the use. We help every company plan those costs.
Can a lab join the partner network?
Yes. We are always looking for labs whose equipment and expertise round out the network. Write to us at info@garageincubation.com.
Question. Learn. Decide
Every prototype becomes a lesson you can use, and every lesson becomes a decision that shapes what follows.
We answer as soon as we can · info@garageincubation.com