A New Round of Funding for the Circular Valley Initiative in Germany
The Circular Valley Initiative, founded by the Circular Valley Foundation in 2021, has recently launched a new round of its funding program with the goal of developing the “Silicon Valley of the Circular Economy” in Europe. The initiative aims to close material loops along existing value chains, create policy recommendations and educate the public about the circular economy.
Among its members are large companies such as BASF, Bayer, Evonik, Knipe and Vorwerk, as well as renowned scientific institutions such as the Fraunhofer Umsicht Institute, the Max Planck Society and the Wuppertal Institute. Over 100 start-ups from all over the world have supported the initiative so far.
In this latest cohort, 15 start-ups from Egypt, Chile, India and across Europe will spend three months in the Rhine-Ruhr region refining their business models starting in April. These start-up leaders will receive guidance from coaches and mentors, visit different companies and network with local industry professionals. The funding program will culminate in a demonstration day on May 28th where these start-ups will pitch their ideas to an audience.
The current focus of this funding program is on value chain coordination, alternative raw materials and biotechnology research. Some of the latest start-ups to join this field include companies like Agrona, Cirulik, VGC.AI, CarbonCraft, Circular Structures and Flower Matter among others. Through this initiative these start-ups have a chance to improve their innovative solutions while contributing towards building a sustainable circular economy in Europe.