Photo: Shari Small/WBZ NewsRadio
HAVERHILL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — New England Invents is a nonprofit in Haverhill that is helping independent inventors bring their ideas to life through consulting, education, and assistance with pitching their products.
Founder and President George Peters started New England Invents in January 2023 to provide other independent inventors like himself with support, advice, and education on the process of releasing their invention into the world.
“The path of being an inventor is not one easily traveled, so you do need a lot of help,” he said.
And Peters knows exactly what inventors go through to get their idea completed, licensed, patented, and sold.
He is the inventor of a wide variety of products, from the KettlePizza, which turns grills into pizza ovens, to the Mosquito Mitt and the What Now??? Evacuation Training Aid, which is used by hospitals and schools for educational training.
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Peters explained the usual way that inventors engage with his nonprofit. “It usually starts with somebody calling us who says ‘I’ve developed this thing, but I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t know which way to go.’”
He added, “Independent inventors are people who have day jobs and night jobs [and] struggle at times to bring their idea to life.”
Photo: Shari Small/WBZ NewsRadio
New England Invents has about 200 members, and membership requires a $40 yearly fee.
Peters explained why he was drawn to create a nonprofit to achieve his goal of helping independent inventors.
“Because there are a lot of organizations out there that might try to take advantage of somebody with an idea, we knew that by turning ourselves into a nonprofit, we could kind of put a stamp on it,” which says “we’re going to be held to certain standards.”
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The inventor’s journey to make their idea a reality is a lot like constructing a house, said Peters.
“It’s like building a house: find a good piece of land with the right foundation, and then build a house.”
Peters said that New England Invents at the end of the day is about giving support to people on a sometimes difficult journey of invention.
“We’re in the business to try to help somebody understand what exactly the inventor’s journey is all about.”
WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports.
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