October is Circular Economy Month and Poptronic is excited to continue building a circular economy for tech hardware and consumer electronics through its Canadian-based tech rental service.
A recent UN report shows that 50 million tonnes of e-waste is produced globally every year and that less than 20% of that number is actually recycled. By 2050 the UN predicts that this number will rise to 120 million tonnes. Poptronic addresses Sustainable Development Goal #12 (Ensuring Responsible Consumption and Production Patterns).
This waste is costly to the environment, costly to public health, and a waste of valuable resources contained in some electronic products like gold and platinum.
Poptronic is also working to ensure greater affordability and more equitable access to consumer technology. Allowing customers to shop and rent tech online, they are addressing Canadians’ needs while providing a unique way to consume tech, without the commitment.
Not every small business and entrepreneur can afford to have a high end laptop to use in the creation of ads and marketing materials; not every grandparent will use a gaming console, but might like to have one when the little ones visit; and sometimes parents want to host an afternoon of fun with outdoor movies and music. Poptronic meets all of these tech rental needs and more.
Poptronic is thrilled to be participating in 4 accelerator and pitch programs which will help the business scale and reach a larger audience for their products and services.
The startup was founded in Cornwall, Ontario by Kelly Bergeron and Chatnie Herne. This pair of female entrepreneurs envision a future where tech is sustainable and accessible for all.
Chatnie recently participated in Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous pitch competition that connects Indigenous entrepreneurs with mentors and cash prizes of between $500 and $25,000. Chatnie’s incredible pitch clearly stood out to the judges as Poptronic was accepted into the semi-finals, just one of 124 pitches to do so out of 2,500 entrants.
In the semi-final competition, Poptronic finished as a runner-up in the Consumer Retail category.
Poptronic is also anxiously awaiting the opportunity to pitch to SheBoot investors over the next couple of weeks. They are just one of just 15 businesses that have been accepted into the program out of 105 from across Canada and Poptronic could be awarded up to $150,000 of investment funds if they have the winning pitch.
The funding for these two programs will help Poptronic grow its stock of rental items as well as grow their team and market share across Canada.
Poptronic is also participating in two other entrepreneurship programs, both Fierce Founders from Communitech and Starter Company PLUS from the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre.
They are excited to share all of this news with Canadians and pledge to continue to grow and reach for our goal of a cleaner world and one where technology is accessible to all.
About Kelly & Chatnie
With over 25 years of tech experience combined, both Kelly and Chatnie are passionate about building equitable tech and promoting the circular economy to help create sustainability in the hardware supply chain.
Kelly has worked in various tech roles in various industries and in the past decade, at two Fortune 500 companies. She was nominated for the Ontario Colleges’ Premier’s Award in Tech in 2018.
Herne brings not only her expert skills in tech, which includes earning a Masters Degree in IT Management during the pandemic (with Distinction), but also brings a strong background and wealth of experience in finance and marketing.
