Make
Unmake
Remake

Where old tech sparks new ideas. Turning yesterday’s phones into tomorrow’s prototypes.

Turning E-waste into learning Opportunities

It’s estimated that 5 billion smartphones are discarded globally each year, even though they still work. At the same time, many kids don’t get hands-on opportunities to learn how technology is built. Patch connects these two challenges by turning old phones into tools for learning, creativity, and climate action.

  • Making a new smartphone requires significant energy, raw materials, and fresh water. Reusing just one phone can save dozens of pounds of materials, tens of kilograms of CO₂, and thousands of liters of fresh water. Patch makes reuse simple by starting with devices families already have.

  • Patch uses old smartphones as the brain of modular learning kits. With guided projects and open-ended exploration, kids can build, experiment, and take ideas apart to understand how things work.

  • Our long-term vision is to help raise a generation that understands how technology works and feels empowered to build, repair, and rethink it. By learning through making, kids develop problem-solving skills and confidence that extend far beyond any single project.

How it works

Use a smartphone you already have at home (or get one through Patch). Instead of sitting in a drawer, it becomes the “brain” of your project.

1. Grab an old phone

Connect the phone to the Patch board and open our guided app. The app walks you through each step—no coding or hardware experience needed.

2. Connect it to the Patch kit

3. Build and explore together

Follow hands-on lessons to build robots, sensors, and creative projects. Kids learn how technology works by making real things, at their own pace.

Each Patch kit includes a connector board, cables, and modular parts that turn an old smartphone into the brain of your project, plus guided app lessons to help families start building right away.

Inside Your Kit

build real-world projects

Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.

for curious minds

what families & Educators are saying

Reflections shared during early testing in local homes, schools, and libraries

“I feel good letting my kid use it. I can see them focused and engaged…much rather them learn than doom scroll. They kept wanting to show me what they were building. It felt safe, creative, and genuinely cool!”

- Parent of High Schooler (17 Years Old)

“I didn’t know a phone could do that. It felt different from school projects because we could actually change things and see what happens. I want to try building a car or metronome with it.”

— Student at Cambridge High School (15 Years Old)

“It’s easy to run it. I can see how students come up with an idea, reverse engineer projects, and move at their own pace. That freed me up to support questions instead of troubleshooting each step.”

— Teaching Assistant, Harvard College Mechanical Engineering Department

Developed with leading institutions

Partnerships and advising from universities, recycling centers, and global innovation programs

Learning that’s good for kids—and the planet.

Patch helps reduce electronic waste by reusing smartphones that would otherwise go unused or end up in landfills. Reusing a single phone can save dozens of pounds of materials, tens of kilograms of CO₂, and thousands of liters of fresh water. At the same time, Patch helps kids shape long-term habits around responsible use of technology.

launching soon

Join the waitlist to get early access, launch updates, and special pricing when Patch launches on Kickstarter.

Limited early spots • No spam