Cinch cuts e-waste by extending gadget life

SMEs can rent smartphones, tablets and laptops at a fraction of their retail costs.

Singapore startup Cinch aims to end the cycle of electronic waste by extending the lifespan of devices and offering these as a subscription-based service to people and companies.

“We're trying to make consumer tech products that are becoming increasingly expensive more accessible for SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and consumers,” Mahir Hamid, CEO & co-founder of Cinch, told Singapore Business Review.

“We do that by taking high-ticket items like tablets, phones, and laptops and offering them through subscriptions with low monthly costs, priced at a fraction of retail,” he said via Zoom. “Our model is fundamentally underpinned by circularity.”

The device-as-a-service platform allows businesses to track inventory, manage repairs and replacements, and deploy pre-configured devices to employees regionally with a zero-touch setup.

"As a platform, we are not only extending the useful life of these products but also committing to channeling them into responsible recycling streams,” Hamid said. “We work with several e-waste recycling companies to support that effort.”

Returned devices undergo a full diagnostic sweep, which includes hardware tests, battery health checks, and cosmetic inspections.

Hamid said Singapore stockpiles about 65,000 tons of e-waste each year, and this is projected to double in the next 25 years. Consumers and companies rarely dispose of their gadgets sustainably.

“We refurbish in-house or work with certified partners to replace parts if needed, including batteries, ensure proper sanitisation, and repackage the devices before redeployment. That is our circularity piece,” he added.

Cinch’s target markets include distribution channels, suppliers, fulfillment partners, insurers, e-commerce platforms, recycling companies, and managed service providers. For partner brands, Cinch works with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., CompAsia, and ZenAdmin.

“In Singapore, we collaborate with ALBA and National Environment Agency (NEA) on the sustainable recycling aspect, and we’re looking to expand these partnerships as we regionalise the business,” he said.

Cinch, which also generates revenue from its software-as-a-service solution, keeps its edge by using key data insights that let it operate more cost-effectively.

Hamid noted that Singaporeans upgrade their devices every 2.65 years on average.

“What we aim to do is extend the useful life of mobile phones specifically to five years,” he said. “If we can generate a healthy annualised return on a device that costs $1,000, it allows us to offer it at a significant discount on a 12-month subscription, well below retail prices.”

Cinch, which extends its services to neighboring countries across Asia, plans to further scale its operations after raising $38.2m from a recent seed funding round.

Hamid said the company stays ahead of the competition by moving fast and creating superior products that are easy to use.

“We’re trying to become Asia's largest device-as-a-service solution and have close to a million devices in circulation within five years,” he added.