Munich-based Radical Dot, a climate deeptech startup focused on chemical recycling technology, has closed a €2.7M pre-Seed funding round.
Alexandre Kremer, co-founder and COO of Radical Dot, says, “Having witnessed the devastating impacts of plastic pollution firsthand while building waste management infrastructure in Indonesia as part of Project STOP, I have dedicated my career to transforming plastic waste from a societal burden into a valuable resource that drives a sustainable economy.”
The German company will use the funds to build a continuously operated prototype at its facility at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The prototype will support future scaling and customer engagement.
Investors supporting Radical Dot
The oversubscribed funding round was led by UVC Partners and Visionaries Tomorrow.
Other participants included climate tech leaders and business angels such as Jeremy Oppenheimer (Managing Partner at Systemiq), Thomas Tuchscherer (ex-CFO at Snowflake, Navan, Talend), Lord Adair Turner (Chair of the Energy Transition Commission), Pjotr van Schothorst and Philippe Tardy.
Amanda Birkenholz from UVC Partners, says, “Radical Dot addresses a critical market need by turning plastic waste into green carboxylic acids. As industries shift toward sustainable solutions, the demand for green chemicals has never been greater.”
“This is more than an economic opportunity—it’s a chance to drive global change by reducing plastic waste and creating a more sustainable future for the chemical industry.”
Dr. Iris ten Have from Visionaries Tomorrow, adds, “Unlike most other plastic recycling technologies, which are energy-intensive and often limited to processing very clean plastics or a single specific polymer, Radical Dot’s unique technology enables the upcycling of mixed plastic waste into valuable chemicals with favorable process economics.”
“By being cost- competitive, their innovative approach has the potential to redefine the industry with immense economic and environmental impact.”
A chemical technology for ‘difficult-to-recycle’ plastic waste
The chemical recycling industry faces challenges as high energy costs and low virgin plastic prices force companies out of business. The chemical sector, accounting for 4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, seeks scalable and cost-effective non-fossil carbon sources.
According to a statement by Radical Dot, energy-intensive processes, high sorting costs, and strict input material requirements have limited recycling ventures’ ability to compete with fossil-based plastics.
Radical Dot’s low-temperature catalytic process converts mixed plastic waste while reducing energy use. The technology produces cost-competitive chemical building blocks, supporting a circular economy.
Founded by Dr. Andreas Wagner and Alexandre Kremer, the company is based in Munich and operates from TUM Venture Labs ChemSPACE.
With experience in plastics, waste management, and sustainable chemistry at Systemiq, the team aims to create a platform that undercuts fossil prices, processes up to 20 per cent of global plastic waste, and reduces over 500 million tons of CO2e annually. This aligns with the EU Plastic Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the industry demand for renewable solutions.
What do the industry veterans have to say?
Lucrèce Foufopoulos-DeRidder, former Executive Vice President – Polyolefins & Circular Economy and CTO at Borealis, says, “The pervasive spread of plastic waste is a planetary problem that demands urgent action. Radical Dot has the potential to revolutionise the plastic economy with their novel recycling technology to unlock carbon from waste. Having supported them on their journey, I’ve witnessed firsthand their vision and determination to drive the necessary change with urgency and pragmatism!”
Heiko Maas, former VP of BASF Pilot Plant Operations, says, “Radical Dot’s young team of entrepreneurs is pushing the chemical industry forward. With their novel technology concept they might be onto something really big, challenging the status quo of chemical recycling.”
Brief about the lead investors
UVC Partners is a European VC firm investing in B2B tech startups. Managing over €600M in assets, it invests €1M to €10M initially and up to €30M per startup in deeptech, climate-tech, mobility, and software/AI.
Its portfolio includes Flix, Isar Aerospace, planqc, Proxima Fusion, Reverion, Tacto, TWAICE, DeepDrive, and STABL. Portfolio companies benefit from the firm’s investment and exit experience, category-building expertise, and UnternehmerTUM’s network for market entry support.
Visionaries Tomorrow is an early-stage VC fund investing in founders developing technology for industrial transformation. The fund connects startups with expertise and scaling support from Europe’s industrial leaders and family businesses, helping them grow from lab to global scale.
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