All the funding deals in the circular economy
Last updated: 12 May 2026
Download our beautiful pitch about the circular economy
In our circular economy deck, you will find everything you need to understand the market
The circular economy market is attracting capital because companies are finding practical ways to reuse materials, repair products, recycle resources, and reduce waste.
We conducted deep research and collected 77 funding deals in the circular economy market from Q1 2024 to Q2 2026.
We refresh this page very often so readers can follow new circular economy funding deals as the market changes.
And if you want to better understand this new industry, you should get our beautiful slides covering the circular economy.
Insights
- The circular economy market is no longer only about waste collection. Large rounds are now going to battery materials, textile recycling, rare earth recovery, and reusable packaging systems.
- Battery recycling is one of the clearest funding magnets in the circular economy market, with Redwood Materials, Princeton NuEnergy, cylib, Li Industries, Green Li-ion, NOWOS, Lohum, R3 Robotics, and Renewable Metals all raising capital.
- The largest circular economy funding deals are concentrated in materials with strategic value. Batteries, rare earths, and recycled industrial inputs attract more capital than small local recycling services.
- Textile circularity is becoming a serious circular economy investment theme. Syre, Circ, SuperCircle, eeden, Epoch Biodesign, Renasens, Sparxell, Octarine Bio, and BackChannel show activity across recycling, dyes, and surplus inventory.
- The circular economy market includes both deep technology and simple operating models. AI sorting, enzyme recycling, and supercritical CO2 sit next to refurbishment, reuse logistics, and marketplace models.
- 2026 already shows strong circular economy funding activity, with 21 deals collected by Q2 2026. This suggests investors are still active after a busy 2025.
- Recycling infrastructure remains central to the circular economy market, but investors also fund software, traceability, robotics, and financial tools that make circular systems easier to run.
- The circular economy market is global. The deals include companies from North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Latin America, which shows broad demand for resource efficiency.
- Smaller funding rounds still matter in the circular economy market. Early-stage companies like Recove, Hasiru Dala Innovations, MAECONOMY, and Twogee Biotech can open new local circular loops.
This chart, featured in our circular economy deck, shows annual venture capital investment in circular economy startups
Summary table of the funding deals for the circular economy since 2024
We define the circular economy market as all activities that keep products and materials in use for longer and return them safely to the economy or nature instead of sending them to waste.
We include circular design, sharing and product-as-a-service models, repair and refurbishment, remanufacturing, high-quality recycling, bio-based and compostable materials, regenerative agriculture, and the digital, logistics, consulting and financial services that enable these loops.
We exclude purely linear “take-make-waste” activities, traditional waste disposal (landfilling and non-recovering incineration), and generic sustainability actions that do not materially change how resources and materials flow through the economy.
We focused exclusively on pure players, defined as companies with at least 70–80% of their business directly tied to the circular economy.
Our analysis has been done at a global level with a minimum funding threshold of $300k.
You can also read our detailed analysis to understand how funding activity in the circular economy has evolved recently.
If you want a longer-term view, we also have a study of how funding activity in the circular economy has changed over the years.
Also, you should know that we have a dedicated page, updated weekly, with all the latest fundraising deals in the circular economy.
| Name | What they do | Amount in $ | Quarter | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECOIL | Collects used cooking oil and turns it into biofuel and SAF feedstock. | $2.5M | Q2 2026 | StartupTalky |
| MAECONOMY | Builds data tools for traceable and tradable circular building materials. | $1.6M | Q2 2026 | EU-Startups |
| Renewable Metals | Recycles lithium-ion batteries to recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese. | $7.8M | Q2 2026 | CEFC |
| Cyclic Materials | Recycles rare earth elements and critical metals from waste products. | $75.0M | Q1 2026 | Business Wire |
| Redwood Materials | Recycles batteries and turns second-life EV batteries into grid storage. | $425.0M | Q1 2026 | Business Insider |
| ScrapUncle | Runs an on-demand recycling platform for e-waste and recyclables in India. | $2.4M | Q1 2026 | Economic Times |
| Twogee Biotech | Turns residual biomass into sustainable chemical building blocks using enzymes. | $2.35M | Q1 2026 | Tech Funding News |
| Octarine Bio | Develops bio-based natural pigments for textiles and cosmetics. | $5.45M | Q1 2026 | EU-Startups |
| CLIMATEX | Designs recyclable textile systems and circular fabrics. | $4.1M | Q1 2026 | New Market Pitch |
| Sitegeist Robotics | Builds robots that repair concrete infrastructure instead of replacing it. | $4.4M | Q1 2026 | New Market Pitch |
| Project Omega | Recycles spent nuclear fuel into usable energy materials. | $12.0M | Q1 2026 | Axios |
| UBEES | Provides managed pollination and biodiversity services for regenerative agriculture. | $8.7M | Q1 2026 | Capagro |
| Sparxell | Makes plant-based colourants for fashion and textiles. | $5.0M | Q1 2026 | EU-Startups |
| Seprify | Develops cellulose ingredients that replace titanium dioxide and petrochemicals. | $14.6M | Q1 2026 | TNW |
| WeSort.AI | Builds AI sorting systems for batteries, e-waste, and critical materials. | $10.9M | Q1 2026 | EU-Startups |
| BackChannel | Redirects surplus apparel and footwear inventory to small retailers. | $4.75M | Q1 2026 | Accion |
| R3 Robotics | Automates dismantling of EV batteries and electronics for material recovery. | $15.26M | Q1 2026 | Batteries News |
| Epoch Biodesign | Uses AI-designed enzymes to recycle plastics and textile waste. | $12.0M | Q1 2026 | EU-Startups |
| Renasens | Uses supercritical CO2 to recover fibres from blended textiles. | $10.9M | Q1 2026 | ArcticStartup |
| Level Nine | Develops catalysts that turn biomass and waste into renewable chemicals. | $4.4M | Q1 2026 | IBB Ventures |
| Shellworks | Makes compostable packaging materials that replace plastic. | $15.0M | Q1 2026 | Tech.eu |
| Redwood Materials | Produces battery materials from end-of-life batteries. | $350.0M | Q4 2025 | Redwood Materials |
| refurbed | Sells professionally refurbished electronics, home goods, and sports products. | $58.5M | Q4 2025 | refurbed Ireland |
| Upway | Sells professionally refurbished e-bikes through an industrial refurbishment network. | $60.0M | Q4 2025 | PR Newswire |
| Sortera Technologies | Uses AI to sort aluminum scrap into higher-value recycled alloys. | $45.0M | Q4 2025 | Sortera Technologies |
| SuperCircle | Runs textile take-back and sorting systems for retailers. | $24.0M | Q4 2025 | PR Newswire |
| Uluu | Makes seaweed-based plastic alternatives that biodegrade safely. | $10.5M | Q4 2025 | Uluu |
| Lohum | Recycles, repurposes, and reuses lithium-ion batteries and materials. | $15.0M | Q4 2025 | Entrackr |
| Kula Bio | Makes microbial nitrogen biofertilizers for regenerative agriculture. | $15.48M | Q4 2025 | EIN Presswire |
| EarthOptics | Measures soil and carbon conditions for regenerative agriculture programs. | $38.1M | Q4 2025 | CB Insights |
| Eneris Group | Builds recycling and waste-management infrastructure for cities and industry. | $88.0M | Q3 2025 | IFC |
| AMSilk | Makes biodegradable silk-based protein materials that replace petrochemical materials. | $32.4M | Q3 2025 | AMSilk |
| BioConsortia | Makes microbial inputs that reduce synthetic fertilizer use. | $15.0M | Q3 2025 | BioConsortia |
| Loopworm | Upcycles organic waste into insect protein and bio-based ingredients. | $3.25M | Q3 2025 | Pet Food Processing |
| Floreon Technology | Makes lower-carbon PLA-based bioplastic compounds. | $2.5M | Q3 2025 | Sustainability MEA |
| Recove | Runs a B2B marketplace for plastic recyclables in India. | $0.64M | Q3 2025 | Economic Times |
| Halter | Offers virtual fencing and animal-management tools for regenerative livestock. | $100.0M | Q2 2025 | Wedbush |
| Cyclic Materials | Recycles rare earth elements and critical metals from waste products. | $27.0M | Q2 2025 | Cyclic Materials |
| DePoly | Recycles PET and polyester into virgin-like raw materials. | $23.0M | Q2 2025 | Tech.eu |
| Novoloop | Upcycles polyethylene waste into high-performance material inputs. | $21.0M | Q2 2025 | Novoloop |
| eeden | Recycles blended textiles by recovering cellulose and PET components. | $19.4M | Q2 2025 | Tech.eu |
| VYTAL | Runs a reusable food packaging network with RFID tracking. | $15.5M | Q2 2025 | EU-Startups |
| Impact Recycling | Recycles mixed flexible plastics using water-based density separation. | $4.47M | Q2 2025 | UK Tech News |
| Reusables.com | Provides smart return-bin systems for reusable food packaging. | $2.6M | Q2 2025 | PR Newswire |
| Hasiru Dala Innovations | Builds recycling and biogas systems with informal waste pickers. | $0.72M | Q2 2025 | YourStory |
| Blue Planet Environmental | Develops waste-to-resource and circular waste-management projects across Asia. | $6.2M | Q2 2025 | DealStreetAsia |
| Glacier | Uses AI robotics to sort recyclables at material recovery facilities. | $16.0M | Q2 2025 | TechCrunch |
| Circ | Recycles blended textiles and recovers cotton and polyester. | $25.0M | Q1 2025 | Business of Fashion |
| Green Li-ion | Builds modular lithium-ion battery recycling and black-mass systems. | $20.5M | Q1 2025 | Recycling Today |
| Epoch Biodesign | Uses enzymes to break down plastics and textiles into reusable molecules. | $18.3M | Q1 2025 | EU-Startups |
| Resynergi | Converts mixed plastic waste into pyrolysis oil. | $18.0M | Q1 2025 | Waste Dive |
| METYCLE | Runs a marketplace and quality platform for secondary metals. | $15.2M | Q1 2025 | EU-Startups |
| ScrapBees | Manages digital recycling logistics for construction and scrap-metal flows. | $4.3M | Q1 2025 | Faraday VP |
| Attero | Recycles e-waste and lithium-ion batteries to recover critical metals. | $1.27M | Q1 2025 | Tracxn |
| MacroCycle | Upcycles PET plastic and polyester waste into virgin-grade resin. | $6.5M | Q1 2025 | ESG Today |
| NOWOS | Repairs lithium-ion batteries, especially for micromobility products. | $6.5M | Q1 2025 | Tech Funding News |
| Revibe | Sells guarantee-backed refurbished electronics in emerging markets. | $7.0M | Q4 2024 | Wamda |
| Excess Materials Exchange | Matches waste and excess materials with reuse applications. | $5.0M | Q4 2024 | Entrepreneur Middle East |
| AMP | Uses AI to sort municipal waste and recyclables. | $91.0M | Q4 2024 | Business Wire |
| DEScycle | Uses solvent technology to recover metals from e-waste. | $13.3M | Q4 2024 | DEScycle |
| tozero | Recycles lithium-ion batteries and recovers lithium materials. | $11.7M | Q4 2024 | TechCrunch |
| Molg | Uses robotics to disassemble electronics for reuse and recycling. | $5.5M | Q4 2024 | Closed Loop Partners |
| Cyclic Materials | Recycles rare-earth magnets and critical materials from end-of-life products. | $53.0M | Q3 2024 | Business Wire |
| Notpla | Makes seaweed-based plastic-free packaging materials. | $25.5M | Q3 2024 | Notpla |
| Fairown | Enables product subscription models for product-as-a-service commerce. | $6.2M | Q3 2024 | Fairown |
| Aerflo | Makes a reusable portable sparkling-water system. | $10.0M | Q3 2024 | AlleyWatch |
| The Rounds | Restocks household products with reusable packaging and refill logistics. | $24.0M | Q3 2024 | TechCrunch |
| Samsara Eco | Uses enzymes to recycle plastics and textiles into reusable monomers. | $65.0M | Q2 2024 | Samsara Eco |
| Princeton NuEnergy | Directly recycles lithium-ion batteries. | $30.0M | Q2 2024 | PR Newswire |
| Syre | Produces recycled polyester through textile-to-textile recycling. | $100.0M | Q2 2024 | Syre |
| cylib | Builds end-to-end lithium-ion battery recycling technology. | $59.8M | Q2 2024 | cylib |
| Li Industries | Develops direct lithium-ion battery recycling technology. | $36.0M | Q2 2024 | PR Newswire |
| Kubik | Upcycles plastic waste into construction materials. | $1.9M | Q2 2024 | TechCrunch |
| Sorted | Uses vision and spectroscopy to improve recycling-line recovery. | $2.07M | Q2 2024 | Archipelago Ventures |
| Recykal | Runs a B2B circularity platform for many waste streams. | $13.0M | Q2 2024 | Outlook Business |
| Getmobil | Sells refurbished electronics and runs refurbishment infrastructure in Türkiye. | $4.0M | Q1 2024 | Tech Funding News |
| Nasekomo | Converts organic byproducts into insect protein and fertilizer. | $8.75M | Q1 2024 | The Recursive |
This market map, featured in our circular economy deck, highlights top companies and startups in the circular economy
Related blog posts
- The most recent developments in the circular economy
- The most recent developments reported in the circular economy
- What is the real size of the circular economy?
- The most recent funding news in the circular economy
- What are the latest fundraising trends in the circular economy?
