meet serbian emerging creators—haptic synaptic

This article was developed within the program Venture an Idea funded by the USAID.

Photo: Vojislav Vujanić / Naša Mreža

 

What if tech wasn’t just about machines and codes, but about crafting magic wands, enchanted greeting cards, and creative adventures? Meet Haptic Synaptic, a passion project of two women in tech with a mission to inspire the next generation of girls through tech-infused fun. In this interview, learn how they turned a simple newsletter into an innovative tech-education platform, partnering with parents, educators, and even UNICEF. Ready to spark creativity at home? Dive in and see how their DIY tech kits make learning an unforgettable experience and change how girls perceive technology!

What is Haptic Synaptic? What mission are you on?

We aim to ignite a passion for technology in the next generation of girls. Our mission is to spark curiosity, build confidence, and nurture tech skills, empowering girls to become future innovators.

How did it all start? What was the idea, and how did it develop further?

As two women in tech, we were always part of these conversations—what can we do to improve the low participation of women in tech (which persistently stands at around 20%)? Eventually, we realized that this problem starts very early on. Research shows that girls start losing interest in tech at the age of 6. And from there, the gap just grows.

Part of the problem is the lack of diversity in tech education between girls and boys. For example, when you Google “tech toys for girls,” you'll find just tech toys, primarily vehicles and blue colors. It clearly communicates that girls are not the target audience.

Today, when technology shapes every segment of our lives, it’s relatively easy to add an electronic component to almost anything. The same applies to toys and content that children use to explore the world of tech.

So, we started with a simple newsletter for girls' parents and teachers with ideas on how to keep that tech spark alive.

We kept communicating with parents and learned that it's easy to buy a relevant book, but for them it's much harder to build a small tech project with their daughters —they don't have the time to look for all these materials and prepare. So, we decided to offer it to them 🙂

We send tech creative kits straight to the door with detailed instructions. No one needs to know anything about technology; parents and kids can learn together.

A big part of everything we do is nurturing algorithmic thinking in children, as that’s the baseline for any job of the future. World Economic Forum says that 9 out of 10 jobs of the future will require advanced digital skills, so we’re not talking about future programmers only.

What is the hardest thing about the challenge you wanted to address?

We are seeing technology in the same way for decades, so it's hard for people to differentiate interest in technology from the interest in cars, vehicles and construction machines.

So, we need to show many examples of things you can do with technology that is different from what people are used to seeing—making lightning greeting cards, dancing princesses, magic wands, bracelets, etc.

But, one thing is beautiful — you cannot unsee it once you see it.

It feels like everyone is aware that technology is shaping our future. How are girls' parents addressing this challenge?

They enroll their daughters in programming schools.

And in most cases, the daughter no longer wants to attend after the first year.

What if we told you this is the rule, not the exception? Girls are much less likely to continue these classes.

But, it’s not because girls aren’t generally interested in technology, it's because the way it’s presented often fails to engage them.

Research shows that when learning something new, it’s crucial to connect it to something familiar and appealing.

Most of the things in programming schools don't look like her room, nor her toys.

In fact, despite parents’ good intentions, sending girls to traditional programming classes can have the opposite effect — turning someone who didn’t have a strong opinion about technology into someone with a negative attitude toward it.

That’s exactly why we created our kits — to show girls what technology can be and let them explore it without being burdened by societal stereotypes from the first encounter.

How important was it for you to start with community development?

When doing something differently, it would be impossible to do so without our early adopters.

We started with our newsletter, then with small gatherings and tests through workshops and events. We regularly communicate with our users via email, social media, and sometimes even by phone.

They help us shape the products and make them better every time. We also get some ideas from them!

For example, in December, we are launching our 7th kit, and girls will be making their own lightning Christmas ornament. The idea originated from a 7-year-old, Ana.

What are the products and services that you provide to your community?

We offer:

• Creative DIY kits that combine technology and creativity. For example, girls make their own Fairy House and a magic wand that turns the lights on and off.
• Free online resources through our newsletter.
• Collaborative projects with organizations like UNICEF, and tech companies to expand access to tech education.

What feedback have you received from your users? What kind of experience do you create for parents, kids, and teachers?

Most importantly, we support them in spending quality time together. They are creating something and engaging in a fun and learning process.

Parents constantly tell us how their daughters eagerly wait for the next set. And one thing that we embed in most of our kits is the option to share what they learned with others. For example, they make two bracelets to give one to a friend. Or greeting cards. And this way, the sets are much larger than the hour and a half spent building it.

Kids love the creative freedom our products offer, it helps them see themselves as creators in the tech world.

Tell us something about your team. Who are your strongest supporters and allies in your journey?

It all started with the two of us, Dragana, and Zoja. As two women in tech, we decided to give back to new generations by changing what we have now. Dragana’s daughter Elena (8) is our greatest critic and is why we spend much more time creating kits than initially planned.

Jelena is the newest addition to our team, creating content and helping us better communicate what we do. She redesigned our website and manuals and is the reason why our social media following base is growing every day.

And there are many people whose support was crucial for us, which we would like to mention:

• Alex and Dunja, whose design skills were a huge help from the start
• Ivan, with his engineering skills made every project a little easier to create
• Bojana, with her invaluable advice and hands-on support
• Ninos, Slavko, Sloba, and Nemanja, thank you for being our very first customers! Even before we thought we were ready
• Inspira Group celebrated Girls in Tech Day with our kits
• Marko, who early on realized what we were doing and invited us to collaborate with UNICEF
• Two important organizations that share our mission and have supported us from the very start are Vukobratovićevi dani robotike and Irida.

We owe big thanks to them, and to everyone else who is helping us even the tech playfield by including girls in it.

How do you see your potential for growth? What is your vision for the future?

We see tremendous potential in expanding our reach to new markets, as we focus on Serbia. Part of the reason lies in the complexities of sending and charging subscription sets from here to the rest of the world, but we are trying to resolve it.

We are also developing more products that blend technology with creative exploration. You’ll see something very soon!

Our vision is to become a global platform to motivate and support parents, teachers and other content creators to discover and pursue their passion for tech, ultimately reshaping the industry's future.

How can someone become a member of your community and where can they find your products?

Joining our community is easy! You can sign up for our free newsletter, follow us on social media, or subscribe to get our kits. Just now, we have also enabled an option to buy single sets, so that can be a good idea to test the whole thing or to buy it as a gift.

It’s all accessible through our website, so we suggest everyone start from there.

 

This article is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this program are the responsibility of Nova Iskra and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government