FGvW Advises WeSort.AI on EUR 10 Million Funding Round for AI-Powered Recovery of Critical Raw Materials

FGvW has advised the Würzburg-based deep tech startup WeSort.AI on a EUR 10 million funding round.

Participants in the round included the European impact investors Infinity Recycling, Green Generation Fund, and Vent.io, as well as SPRIND – Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovations and other public funding programs. The financing was facilitated with the support of the investor network at BayStartUP.

WeSort.AI is developing AI-based sorting technology that uses artificial intelligence, specialized cameras, and X-ray sensors to automatically identify batteries and electronic components in mixed waste streams and direct them to the appropriate recycling process. The goal is to recover critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements from waste streams that would otherwise be lost or pose fire risks in recycling facilities. The technology has been in use since 2024 by waste management companies such as KORN Recycling and PreZero, a Schwarz Group company.

With the new capital, WeSort.AI plans to further scale its sorting technology, expand its market presence in Europe, and contribute to European raw material sovereignty in line with the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. Previously, the company had already won SPRIND’s Tech Metal Transformation Challenge as well as grants from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space, and the State of Bavaria.

“By recovering previously untapped critical raw materials from waste, we are tapping into a previously untapped ‘urban mine’ and directly contributing to the implementation of EU requirements,” explains Nathanael Laier, co-founder of WeSort.AI. During the funding round, WeSort.AI received comprehensive legal advice from a Freiburg-based team specializing in advising startups and venture capital transactions, led by Dr Raphael Klesen. The investor consortium was advised, among others, by LARK, led by Dr Daniel Gubitz.

Advisors to WeSort.AI:

Dr Raphael Klesen LL.M., Partner, Freiburg (Venture Capital, Banking & Finance)
Dr Fabian Kehrer, Senior Associate, Freiburg (Venture Capital, Banking & Finance)