that’s not really the point.
“Some people come here because they need to get out of their houses to program or use our machines, while others do have a growing business, and others just want to create,” Meyer says. “This makes a good blend. You can’t have everyone being innovative, or you’ll never get anything done.”
And Sector67 members aren’t afraid to help each other out, even if it means getting their hands dirty. “The running joke here is that there’s no other co-working space where you might end up helping load a semi-truck, digging a hole, or putting a wall together,” Meyer says.
Neis, the venture capitalist who met Meyer eight-plus years ago through a university business plan contest, says he was immediately impressed with Meyer.
“I really like his ideas and saw Sector67 as filling a void in the entrepreneurial ecosystem here by providing access to all kinds of expensive stuff that he makes available and teaches people to use,” Neis says. “For inventors and tinkerers, it was a great concept to create a place where people could gather, get some help and advice, and play with their ideas and move things along without a great investment.”
Nor did it hurt that Neis’s wife, Chele Isaac, is an artist who works with metal, wood, video, and other media. When she heard about Sector67, Neis says she wanted to be one of its first members. Over time, Neis and Isaac became close friends with Meyer and his spouse, Heather Wentler, who co-founded the Doyenne Group, a nonprofit that supports women entrepreneurs. Wentler also founded Fractal, which ran educational programs for children in science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
After the accident, Neis and Isaac contributed $25,000 to help with Meyer’s recovery and Sector67 projects, while encouraging others to donate. They also let the couple live rent-free in a downtown Madison home they own—a renovated church—during his recovery.
“Chris is really passionate about innovation, teaching, and entrepreneurship,” Neis says. “That’s what is driving him. He’s made huge personal sacrifices to make this happen. He’s an extraordinarily talented engineer who could have gotten a good-paying job with a big corporation.”
Meg Brewer, community director at the 100state co-working center in downtown Madison, says the city is lucky to have Meyer and Sector67.
“They are truly inclusive of all communities, from business to tech, to the arts, and beyond,” she says. “They’ve been instrumental to fostering an amazing tech and startup scene in Madison, both as a work and maker space.”
Eric Ronning, whose startup Re Mixers is based at Sector67 and developing shorter, less-expensive industrial nozzles, compares the maker space to the Renaissance-period Verrocchio’s Studio, which was a melding pot of disciplines that produced the likes of Leonardo da Vinci.
“We jokingly call Chris a ‘benevolent dictator’ who still has a lightness, a playfulness about him,” Ronning says. “The fact that he looked at his [skin] grafts as something of a science experiment tells a lot about him.”
