you could have built rad hardware.
we would have helped make it real.
a magical grant program for teenage hardware hackers that could have been
(was magical. we're sunsetting this program because apparently no one wanted to build.)
the deal (that you missed out on)
could have just started making
no applications. no bureaucracy. no takers either, apparently.
we had your back
needed parts? help? we were here. oh well.
could have shipped it!
could have shared with fellow hackers
remember that first led? neither do we.
that moment when your led could have blinked to life. when your servo could have twitched. when your sensor could have read real data from the world. that would have been pure magic.
we wanted every teenager to experience that feeling. guess you all were too busy with tiktok.
how it could have worked
we kept it simple: you could have built something cool with hardware, we would have helped make it real. no applications, no waiting for approval. you just had to start building.
(helped exactly zero projects become real. this program is ending due to lack of interest.)
need a specific microcontroller? weird sensor? custom pcb? we'll help source parts and cover costs. stuck on some gnarly i2c bug? our community of hackers has been there.
this is not a competition. not a startup accelerator. just a group of people who think teenagers building hardware is awesome and want to help make it happen.
what you could have built
these could have existed: a musical synthesizer that turns your plants into instruments. a wearable that helps you lucid dream. a tiny robot that follows the moon. a device that translates cat purrs into poetry.
but they don't. and they won't.
the possibilities were endless. the only requirement? it had to be something you were genuinely excited to build. turns out that was too much to ask.
too late now
keep your soldering iron in its drawer. leave that arduino to collect dust. at least join our slack, maybe?
(we really thought you would build something awesome.)