Bak USA

Relocalizing American manufacturing, creating access to meaningful technology careers, and teaching skills to break cycles of inequality.

Bak USA is a social enterprise relocalizing the creation of technology. Committed to building computers, empowering people, and changing lives, we're educating and employing those least likely to share in the prosperity generated by technological innovation. Our vision is to design and manufacture computers in urban America's left-behind neighborhoods -- beginning in Buffalo, New York, but not stopping there -- to impact those most vulnerable to the forces of the new economy. With a local presence, we will:

- Create jobs exceeding the MIT Living Wage and providing meaningful careers in tech for underserved populations
- Collaborate with local users to develop custom solutions that serve their needs
- Partner with local suppliers to diversify tech economies and minimize environmental impact

Now in our fourth year of business, we employ more than 100 people and reach thousands of customers around the world. We are partnered with Microsoft and other industry leaders to develop high-quality mobile devices at an affordable price. Our computers are purpose-built to level the playing field for students and workers; with access to technology, they're prepared to learn skills, perform tasks, and make a difference.

Our advanced manufacturing process features a patent-pending cellular system that optimizes the output of both humans and machines. By pairing collaborative robotics with human ingenuity and a hand-built aesthetic, we've pioneered a method that closes the gap in speed, quality, and cost between U.S. and Asia-based production. Our production cells can be replicated with low investment and lead time, enabling us to scale rapidly.

Our process uniquely prioritizes and leverages human talent and combines it with collaborative robotics and automation, rehumanizing the production process and creating career opportunities. We have not yet been in business for four years, yet we've created a groundbreaking innovation that could revolutionize American manufacturing. We're the only computer company in the world using this process; and we're using it to help revitalize a Rust Belt city and bring manufacturing back to urban America.

We build computers to empower people in urban communities. Our accessible mobile devices serve students and workers, bridging the digital divide and providing access to the prosperity made by the second machine age. We:
- Make meaningful jobs in technology accessible to the people most vulnerable to the forces of the new economy: individuals with a limited skill set, who lack education or English proficiency.
- Pair human technicians with advanced methods of manufacturing, optimizing the work experience of our employees, and makes our model infinitely scalable, enabling us to have a local impact in communities around the world.

1. Maximize Efficiency
With the implementation of our cobots, we're already exceeding our most aggressive forecasts for efficiency gains. As we continue to improve, we will build and ship the most computers in our company's history.

2. Introduce New Products
We are developing new computers that will serve overlooked but future-looking industries. Our customers will be those who will realize the greatest gains from accessible technology.

3. Expand American Footprint
We will hire more technicians to build our computers. We will also add 1-2 additional cobots and open a second production workshop (micro-factory) in another U.S. city.

Our purpose is to reestablish the US as a leader in manufacturing. By creating careers that empower people to learn skills, solve problems, and vanquish economic inequality. And developing technology solutions that bridge the digital divide for students and workers everywhere. In our world, micro-factories will exist as inclusive tech hubs that invite people to participate in the technological development of their own invention‚ right in their own backyard. Through continued collaboration with partners such as Microsoft, our growth will impact tens of thousands of students and workers from coast to coast and around the world.

We consciously design our hiring practices, workforce training, workspace, and company culture to break down barriers to entry and attract talent from diverse populations. Here's how:

- Minimal requirements for entry-level manufacturing jobs
- Wages pegged to exceed the MIT Living Wage Index
- Creative interview methods to assess technical skills and culture fit with minimum English required
- On-the-job training and free ESL classes
- Inclusive workplace, including prayer and meditation room and mothers' room

The digital divide continues to widen along education, income, and racial. In Buffalo, 45% of households earning less than $20K had access to broadband internet versus 80% of households earning more. As we search for our next location, we'll look for a community whose citizens have been similarly left out of the digital economy.

We've built a talented team of 100+ employees: 58% live in the city of Buffalo, 48% are foreign-born, and 58% are non-white. Our Atlas computer serves more than 23,000 students and educators in 38 states, and our Seal-rugged tablets bring connectivity to workers in five countries.

Bak USA was founded by the Bak family, who continue to serve in leadership roles:
J.P. Bak, Chairman & CEO
Ulla Bak, President
Eva Bak, VP of People
Christian Bak, VP of Product

Production Capabilities
Our patent-pending cellular manufacturing process will allow us to scale our model with minimal investment and lead time. We can replicate each production cell for as little as $100K, plus the cost of employing and training new technicians. With the recent implementation of a sophisticated ERP system and other cloud-based tools, along with a well-established company culture, we can replicate our inclusive, engaging workplace and state-of-the-art production anywhere in the world.

If we get support from Solve we would:
-Complete a workforce development case study assessing opportunities to break down remaining barriers to entry to careers in tech;
-Create new training programs using VR or other technology to teach new skills to workers in remote locations or who have limited language skills;
-All of these are opportunities to partner with MIT students and engage like-minded companies and stakeholders in future of work issues.

We're operating in a mature market dominated by large companies. We partner with industry leaders like Intel to benefit from their expertise and utilize their networks to build market share.
Because most suppliers are in Asia, this means longer lead times, uncertainty relating to shipping and customs, and difficulty with oversight and communication. We established an office in China to work directly with suppliers and work with local suppliers whenever possible. The current administration's propensity for trade wars makes for a challenging and uncertain environment for our supplier relationships. A public affairs expert is helping us advocate interests with government agencies.