Circu Li-ion receives 8.5 million euros for sustainable battery recycling

Circu Li-ion secures 8.5 million euros for battery upcycling and a database to improve recycling. The aim is to establish a circular value chain for electric car batteries in Europe.

Circu Li-ion, a European start-up in the field of battery recycling, has successfully closed a seed financing round of 8.5 million euros. The round was led by BonVenture and received support from experts in the battery, AI and industrial sectors as well as the management team.

We are excited to double our development speed and turn this further funding into smarter, data-driven solutions that make battery recycling economically and environmentally viable for all.

Antoine Welter - CEO & Co-Founder, Circu Li-ion

The financing consists of 4.5 million euros in equity and 4 million euros in funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator (EICA). Circu Li-ion plans to use these funds to further develop its AI-driven battery upcycling solution. In addition, a battery recycling database will be developed to improve material management and recycling practices.

We continue to develop our products with the agility and adaptability that the fast-moving battery market requires.

Xavier Kohll - CTO & Co-Founder, Circu Li-ion

Circu Li-ion's main goal is to establish a circular value chain for electric car batteries in Europe. To this end, partnerships with leading OEMs and recyclers are to be expanded.

The round objectives

1. further development of the upcycling platform: Circu Li-ion will expand its "Machine-as-a-Service" product with advanced AI algorithms to optimize processes such as discharging, dismantling and diagnosing batteries. This should reduce manual work and minimize the environmental impact.

2. expansion of its own battery database: the company will build the world's largest database for battery recycling. Real-time data collection and analysis algorithms will be used to improve data-driven decisions in battery production.

3. strengthen collaboration with OEMs and recyclers: Circu Li-ion will use the funding to strengthen collaboration with electric vehicle OEMs and recyclers and promote sustainable practices along the entire battery life cycle.

4. exploring new opportunities in the battery recycling value chain: With the help of AI, Circu Li-ion will improve battery sorting and introduce an intelligent sorting system. At the same time, research will focus on innovative methods for separating and processing battery components.

In addition to these developments, Circu Li-ion plans to expand its main production facility near Karlsruhe to 2000 m² and expand its Berlin branch.

Circu Li-Ion is putting a stop to the current destruction of value in the form of a technically sophisticated and particularly innovative solution, thus unlocking previously inaccessible potential down to the level of individual battery cells.

Nikolaj Klebert - Investment Manager, BonVenture:

The latest investment in Circu Li-ion, in which BonVenture plays a key role, continues the investment strategy the company pursued with Resourcify last month. With €14 million in Series A funding, BonVenture demonstrates its commitment to advancing sustainability solutions in resource management and battery recycling. This underlines their ongoing commitment to investing in innovative and sustainable technologies. It remains to be seen whether undiscovered synergies between Resourcify and Circu Li-ion will develop in the future.