38. Technology Will Save Us

Founders: Bethany Koby and Daniel Hirschmann
Founded: April 2012
Website: www.techwillsaveus.com

A business with a noble story, husband and wife team Bethany Koby and Daniel Hirschmann were driven to launch Technology Will Save Us after finding a fully functional laptop in their communal waste bin. Realising that society was gradually becoming increasingly disengaged with the products they were buying, the founders wanted to create something that would get people to build and fix devices, and to reconnect with their technology and think about where it comes from, who built it and finally where it ends up.

Launched in 2012, the aptly named start-up provides customers with kits to construct a variety of gadgets from scratch, such as speakers; or materials to combine with your own gadgets and software to create a new and unique product.

By encouraging users to return to their more artisanal natures and re-engage with products, the start-up hopes to spark a movement and tackle the social and environment problem of mass production and waste. And they have seen huge support and growth since starting out; raising £450,000 investment, named as a Silicon Valley Comes to the UK potential scale-up and landing partnerships with schools nationally, as well as the iconic Museum of Modern Art, The Prince’s Trust and the BBC (which is collaborating with the team to create a MicroBit kit, due out later this year).

This social start-up could transform the way we view and treat technology forever…