Developing an Entrepreneurial Spirit
CEO, Block Bins LLC
When Dane Christianson found out about Illinois Tech’s maker space, the Idea Shop, he was blown away. He also utilized it to launch a career as an entrepreneur.
Dane Christianson (Mechanical Engineering ’15)Dane Christianson is an inventor at heart. He designed—and then constructed—a three-dimensional twisty-puzzle called the X-Cube in Illinois Tech’s Idea Shop using a 3D printer.
“The Idea Shop is just fantastic,” Christianson says. “When I found out that there is a work space at Illinois Tech devoted to creation, I was blown away.”
Christianson developed the idea for his X-Cube twisty puzzle while he was a student. Using high-tech tools, he fabricated its 52 moving parts and took his product to market.
After 1.6 million views on YouTube in its first month and a successful Kickstarter campaign, the X-Cube is available nationwide on Amazon.
“Illinois Tech was the launchpad for my success,” he says.