C
cylib
End-to-end lithium-ion battery recycling recovering all materials
About cylib
cylib is a German startup specializing in the end-to-end recycling of lithium-ion batteries. The company was founded in Aachen in 2022 by CEO Lilian Schwich, CTO Paul Sabarny, and COO Dr. Gideon Schwich, spinning out of nearly a decade of research at RWTH Aachen University.
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The company's core business revolves around its proprietary, resource-efficient recycling process. This water-based hydrometallurgical method enables the recovery of all raw materials from end-of-life batteries or production scrap, including lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. The process boasts a recycling efficiency of over 90% and is designed to have a significantly lower environmental footprint compared to competitors, partly due to a reduction in chemical usage. cylib's technology serves clients such as automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Tier 1 suppliers, battery manufacturers, and refineries. The business model involves turning battery waste into valuable, marketable raw materials that can be reintegrated into the battery supply chain and other industries, thereby supporting a circular economy.
Cylib's history is marked by rapid industrialization. After its founding in 2022 and initial seed funding rounds, the company launched a successful pilot line in Aachen in September 2023. In May 2024, cylib secured €55 million in a Series A funding round, the largest for a European battery recycling company at the time. This round was co-led by World Fund and Porsche Ventures, with participation from Bosch Ventures and others. The company is now scaling its operations and building its first industrial-scale plant at Chempark Dormagen, which is scheduled to be operational in 2026 with an annual recycling capacity of 30,000 tons.
The founding team has deep roots in battery recycling research. Lilian Schwich is a recognized researcher in the field, having focused her doctoral work on lithium recovery. Paul Sabarny specialized in process engineering and recycling during his studies at RWTH Aachen and worked as a research assistant in the field before co-founding the company. Keywords: battery recycling, lithium-ion, circular economy, raw materials recovery, hydrometallurgy, cleantech, electric vehicles, sustainable technology, graphite recovery, lithium recovery, cobalt recovery, manganese recovery, nickel recovery, production scrap recycling, end-of-life batteries, European supply chain, green technology, automotive industry, battery materials, waste valorization
At a glance
- Status
- Operational
- Founded
- 2022
- Headquarters
- Aachen, Germany
- Employees
- 124
- Open positions
- None listed
- Dealroom signal
- 82.0/100
- Sub-industry
- Energy Storage, Waste Solution
- Sector
- Energy, Recycling, Lithium-Ion Batteries, Battery, Spinout, Sustainable Development Goals, EV Battery Recycling, EV Battery, Climate Tech
- Technology
- Hardware, Deep Tech
- Business model
- Manufacturing
- Client focus
- b2b
Knowledge graph
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Funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRANTOther financing | Dec 2025 | $70M | — | Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy | ↗ |
| GRANTOther financing | Nov 2024 | $0 | — | Wirtschaft NRW | ↗ |
Growth signals
Latest recorded traffic for cylib is 9.7K monthly website visits, up 34.7% over the last three months. cylib's team grew 2.5% over the past year.
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Investments and acquisitions
Recent portfolio relationships for companies that also act as investors or acquirers.
Investors
From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.
Seed12 investors entered at this stage
Speedinvest
Torge Thönnessen
Lawrence Leuschner
Leopold König
Kai Hansen- KJKarim Tabet Jalbout
Maximilian Odendahl
Vsquared Ventures
World Fund
10x Founders
Wirtschaft NRW
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy
Series A4 investors entered at this stage
Porsche Ventures
Bosch Ventures
DeepTech & Climate Fonds
NRW Venture
Other known investors1 additional known investor
RWTH Aachen University
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
team presence
Market sentiment
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