amazon-logo-300x88When Amazon opened up the Kindle Store to self-published authors, the company touched off a massive change in the book publishing industry. Now, it’s looking to do the same for inventors, according to a report by Re/code.

Over the past several months, Amazon has been posting job listings for a new venture that the job descriptions described as the “best end-to-end platform for startups,” and “a new platform with inventors.” According to Re/code’s sources, those listings are connected to a new initiative at the company to better develop how Amazon works with new startups, especially in the wearable and robotics spaces.

It wouldn’t be a completely unheard of move for Amazon – the company sponsored a contest on IndieGoGo last year that provided mentoring and $200 of Fulfillment by Amazon credit to 20 winning startups. What’s more, the company already has dedicated sections for a number of the products that it could be supporting through a new platform for inventors, including 3D printing and wearables.

Courting startups makes a lot of sense for the Seattle-based tech titan. Boutique online retailers like Etsy, crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and dedicated platforms for inventors like Quirky are all providing opportunities for small companies hoping to make it big with the next cool gadget. If Amazon can grab those startups in their infancy and provide all the services that they need (much like the company already does with Kindle self-publishing and Amazon Web Services), it could make a nice amount of money from a success like the Pebble smartwatch.

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on this report.

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