Revise Robotics is building automated systems that test, refurbish, and resell used electronics
By Nileena Sunil
Y Combinator-backed startup Revise Robotics provides a solution to the problem of what to do with discarded electronics. Launched on Tuesday, the robotics startup is building automated systems that test, refurbish, and resell used electronics.
Founders Rupesh Jeyaram and Antonio Monreal observed that over 60 million tons of electronics are thrown away each year. There is over $50 billion in residual value locked within the discarded electronics, which often contain materials critical to future technology.
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While many of these devices find their way to the resale market, extending their life and reducing their environmental footprint, the overall process can be difficult. Inspection, data-wiping, reprogramming, and packaging can be extremely tedious and time consuming. This limits the number of computers that actually re-enter circulation.
Revise Robotics has come up with a solution for that using robotics and AI, by building automated systems that refurbish and resell used electronics. Having completed their pilot project last month, they are now looking forward to their second pilot by the end of February 2025.
Co-founder and CTO Antonio Monreal shared the idea behind Revise on LinkedIn: “My first laptop was a half-broken machine that my cousin Daniel recovered as part of his work refurbishing used devices to sell in Mexico. With it, I learned English, took calculus online, applied to my first job and got a full ride to Caltech.
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“After working for a few years in the Bay Area designing some of these same devices, I realized that access to technology is crucial for allowing upward mobility in disadvantaged communities. That’s why for the last year I have been working with Rupesh Jeyaram on Revise Robotics (YC W25) to empower businesses like my cousin’s to increase the number of devices they can reclaim from being thrown away and put them to good use.”
The use of AI-enabled robots is perhaps what sets Revise Robotics apart, and gives them an extra edge. The AI-enabled robotic system that integrates with these facilities to assess and refurbish hundreds of laptops a day without any human intervention. The system tests laptops, wipes their hard drives, photographs them, and posts them on online marketplaces for resale, regardless of model, manufacturer, or operating system.