Circu Li-ion

Circu Li-ion is a European battery upcycling company founded in mid-2021 by childhood friends Antoine Welter (CEO) and Dr. Xavier Kohll (CTO). Welter, a former strategy consultant and angel investor, identified an opportunity in the battery recycling sector, while Dr. Kohll brought expertise in chemical and bioengineering from his PhD at ETH Zurich. They established the company to address the inefficiencies and waste in traditional lithium-ion battery recycling, where up to 80% of components were wasted after the first lifecycle.

The company has developed a fully automated, machine learning-powered process that disassembles battery packs down to the individual cell level for detailed diagnostics. This technology allows for the evaluation of each cell's condition to determine its suitability for a second life, which can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50% and recycling costs by 30%. Circu Li-ion operates a dual business model, offering both a Disassembly-as-a-Service at its facility in Karlsruhe, Germany, and a Machine-as-a-Service model. The latter, described as "the McDonald's of upcycling," allows clients like OEMs and recyclers to deploy the disassembly technology at their own sites.

The company's solutions cater to a wide range of industries, including electric vehicles (EVs), micro-mobility, power tools, and energy storage systems. Initially focusing on micro-mobility batteries from e-bikes and scooters to quickly develop its technology, the company has since expanded to handle batteries from power tools, cars, drones, and energy storage systems. Strategic partners include Amazon, Hyundai, and Daimler Truck. By creating a vast library of battery data, the firm enhances its AI-driven sorting and disassembly capabilities.

Circu Li-ion has secured significant funding to scale its operations. In October 2023, the company raised €8.5 million in a seed round, which included €4.5 million in equity led by BonVenture and €4 million in grants from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. This funding supports the expansion of its production facility, the growth of its team, and the rollout of its services across Europe, with the ambitious goal of upcycling three billion batteries by 2035.

Keywords: battery upcycling, automated disassembly, lithium-ion recycling, cell diagnostics, Machine-as-a-Service, circular economy, battery second life, micro-mobility batteries, EV batteries, cleantech, urban mining, sustainable energy, battery value chain, robotics, machine learning, energy storage solutions, power tool batteries, AI-driven sorting, battery data library, European Innovation Council