10 famous companies that started in a garage

If there’s one thing Maker culture has taught us, all entrepreneurs and inventors need is a vision, a will and a garage.

On March 5, 1975, the Homebrew Computer Club first met in Gordon French’s garage in Menlo Park, California. The club was an informal group of electronic enthusiasts and technically-minded hobbyists who gathered to trade parts, circuits, and information pertaining to DIY construction of computing devices. From the ranks of this club came the founders of many microcomputer companies, ranging from Steve Wozniak and Roger Melen to Adam Osborne and Bob Marsh. Though each of the Homebrew members were hobbyists at heart, a majority of them possessed either a professional electronic engineering or computer programming background.

With the Maker Faire season upon us, we thought we’d highlight some of the world’s most powerful and profitable companies who got their start in true Maker fashion: inside a garage. Nothing quite epitomizes the American (DIY) Dream like an aspiring entrepreneur who manages to turn a simple prototype into…