Upcoming edition of Circular Factory is now open for applicants. Tekkoo and BlueCity are on the lookout for circular startups ready to scale-up.
Selection days are from July-October. We kick-off in November 2024.
Want help in building that first factory? We'd love to meet you.
The Netherlands aim to have a circular economy by 2050: a waste-free economy that runs – as much as possible – on sustainable and renewable raw materials, in which products and raw materials are reused. This requires scaling the circular ideas we already have and building a new processing industry.
We know from experience that scaling a circular startup is complicated, especially in the phase from prototype at lab-scale towards real production in a demo plant. Circular Factory is the supporting start-to-scale-up program dedicated to this phase, offering specific knowledge and a tailor made ecosystem of partners and experienced entrepreneurs.
In the fall of 2023, Tekkoo and BlueCity selected six new startups: Hollands Wol Collectief, PAKT Packaging, Cano-ela, PectCof, NoPalm Ingredients and Outlander Materials. These six participants worked purposefully for a year to gather enough evidence to unlock funding for their own demo plant.
Read more about these startups and their journey in this recap.
For the first edition in 2022, Tekkoo and BlueCity selected six startups. Bakers Feedstock, Biophilica, BlueBlocks, Fairm, MaGieCreations and Nature's Principles. These six startups ended their participation in the program in 2023, having worked toward their ultimate goal of building their own circular factory.
The companies are now ready for investors, and we desperately need them in the Netherlands to make sure we use our resources smarter. The demonstration factories to be built cover a wide range of products; from lactic acid to seaweed materials and ingredients based on beer brew and leftover bread.
Read more about the results here.