Where business meets makers, designers and technological innovation.

The HILO Network explores innovation in the realm of high and low technologies. At the HILO Network, we believe in the power of open-source technologies and especially open knowledge. Together with our partners, we explore the possibilities of open-source solutions for their businesses.

We combine years of expertise from open-source practitioners in design, entrepreneurship, research, informatics, engineering, and maker spaces.

The HILO Network suggests speakers for conferences, facilitators for hands-on workshops in diverse fields, and experts for developing your own open-source products, tools, or business environments.

What is High and Low Technology?

If you've ever wondered what open source is all about and how to integrate it into your daily business environment, you've come to the right place. We offer consulting, facilitation, and training for all levels of experience and professional demands. Just contact us with your topic, and we'll connect you to the right expert from our HILO Network.

  • Introduction workshops to open source projects and exploration for business opportunities.

  • Hands-on workshops with different topic focus to experience open source hardware or software.

  • Facilitation and consulting for strategy workshops, research and stakeholder management for implementation of OS solutions.

The Story behind

© All pictures by Natalija Krasnoperova and Sara Diaz Rodriguez

Studio HILO was a Berlin-based startup from 2018 to 2023, which I co-founded to introduce open-source technologies for textile innovation and to explore the possibilities of a new business model with free open-source hardware and software at its core.

Over six years, we developed the first-ever open-source HILO Spinning Machine, the E-Spinner (electric spinning wheel), and the Textile Recycling Machine. We established trainings and production environments around our open-source tools for researchers, designers, and makers worldwide.

As pioneers in the field of open-source business, Studio HILO received the first official standardization for open-source hardware, DIN SPEC 3105, by DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V.) in Germany. We partnered with OSEG (Open Source Ecology Germany e.V.) to drive open-source innovation in Germany, as well as with the FabLab Barcelona and Fab City Hamburg e.V.

The HILO Network draws from these years of experience and international partners, clients and experts for open source projects and businesses.