The Future of Business
is Circular
Empowering our Planet, one investment at a time.
You asked. We listened. For the first time ever, we’re opening the doors and allowing the people to invest in the circular economy. Become one of the circular ambassadors around the globe.
Because, we can only be Circular Together.
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Ending Waste is everyone’s Business
At THE UPCYCL, we dream of a world where no valuable materials are wasted before they've even had a life.
We’ve created a win-win-win solution where Buyers are purchasing New Waste Materials at a lower price, and Suppliers reduce waste while turning disposal costs into revenue streams.
In just four years, we’ve grown from a passionate idea to a fully operational digital marketplace for New Waste Materials. Through subscriptions and transactions we make industrial waste easily accessible and circulated between manufacturing companies.
With CO2e data provided we can track and document the climate impact for both Suppliers and Buyers.
This is good business – and it has to be – because if you want something to move fast towards a circular future, you have to combine it with good business.
Clearly, purpose and profit can go hand-in-hand
The alarming g reality of the need for a circular future
Worldwide, an estimated 3,870,720,000 tons of New Waste Materials are generated every year. Shockingly, 20% of the materials that manufacturing companies purchase end up as waste before they’ve even had a life. We need to work together to make these materials run in circles.
In this race for a circular future, every second counts.
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Join the movement -
invest in THE UPCYCL
THE UPCYCL creates circular matches between the suppliers of industrial waste streams and the buyers that can utilize them. These matches often cross industries, which is why there’s a need for a digital marketplace to connect these pairings and make waste materials easily accessible—think of it as Tinder between suppliers and buyers of the waste materials or the “Amazon” for waste materials.
For instance, consider how we matched a transport equipment manufacturer with a furniture design company: steel offcuts from the production of wheelbarrows were transformed into elegant legs for a Danish design classic.
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Or how we connected the ventilation industry with the construction sector: sheet metal offcuts were repurposed into the framework for a recycling building station.
Another example is the collaboration between scrap car dealers and interior design projects: unused airbags were upcycled as cushion covers for stylish new cushions.
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Our Journey
Rikke's Story: How It All Started
We began with nothing but common sense and determination.
Rikke Ullersted, CEO and founder of THE UPCYCL, began her career as an industrial designer and co-founded the award-winning design studio, MADE BY MAKERS, alongside Carsten Petersen. They worked with renowned clients like LEGO, Coloplast, and Grundfos. However, Rikke soon began to feel disillusioned by the lack of access to sustainable materials, to use in industrial and high volume production.
During a client project, she repurposed materials from the industrial containers of another client, sparking the idea to merge the use of sustainable materials with the vast streams of industrial waste.
THE UPCYCL is founded
The time was right.
A late night after working on the Jury of the Danish Design Award, Rikke decided to go all in. She locked THE UPCYCL name and bought the domains.
Amid bootstrapping, setting up our first office, and the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, a digital and scalable business model began to take shape.
Knocking doors to the industry
Cold canvas and knocking on the doors to the industries.
The furniture industry started to experience a sustainable demand, and we successfully started matching industrial waste streams with the needs of the furniture industry.
Getting our first investment
With the growing demand for sustainable solutions, the need for circularity became undeniable and we really started to drag waste out of the industry dumpsters.
We got our first investment from Accelerace Invest and achieved soft funding, making us move faster.
We also reached a milestone – 100 listed materials ready for upcycling.
Building Tech and onboarding clever Angels
Christian Thisted joined the team as Tech Lead, leading the rebuild of our platform. We onboarded 10 strategically selected business angels.
Rikke was nominated as a “Female founder to watch” and we became semifinalists in the “Green Startup Cup” by Boston Consulting Group and EIFO.
We expanded to 200 listed materials.
Recurring Revenue and Transactions Flowing Through Our B2B Platform
The matching and trading of waste streams have become fully digital, enabling us to deliver climate data as a service. We’ve expanded our capabilities to create real, measurable impact.
Behind the scenes, our team has been the cornerstone of this success. THE UPCYCL has grown even stronger through dedicated teamwork, and 4 more clever Angels onboarded.
Focusing on team culture, we introduced informal sailing trips and a holiday house retreat while beginning to shape a manifesto that defines our ideology, purpose, and shared values.
A team of 7 dedicated individuals, 100 member companies, and over 220 listed materials.
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We want to move faster - we invite you to join us
We invite our community to invest and push the agenda. We believe that we can run faster together AND do good business.
Climate damage on Mother Earth is of great concern and we need to get our circular system rolled out as fast as possible.
Sale and Scales
This year will be all about getting enormous amounts of waste out of the dumpsters, and into other companies’ supply chain.
We will scale our digital solution and make New Waste the “New Normal”.
We will map the landscape of industrial waste in Eastern Europe, securing strong waste-matches and business among industries.
We aim to reduce 1,500 tons of CO2e and 1,200 tons of waste.
Expanding in Europe and looking towards the U.S.
Scale, logistics and Data service will be the headlines for 2026.
We will expand across borders, especially looking towards Germany, the UK and the Nordics.
We aim to reduce 4,200 tons of CO2e and 3,360 tons of waste.
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What our ANGELS say about THE UPCYCL
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Never heard of
New Waste?
How can you join?
Sign up and Pre-register
Sign up through Republic Europe/Seedrs (it’s free to use the platform)
Find THE UPCYCL campaign under the launching soon section and click on “Get priority access”.
Indicate how much you want to invest now (not legally binding).
You will then get exclusive early access to invest in THE UPCYCL.
Pre-register here.
Become ready to invest on Republic Europe/Seedrs
Before you can make an investment on Republic Europe/Seedrs, you have to verify your identity.
Please note: It takes 24 hours to get verified on Republic Europe/Seedrs, so make sure to complete it ahead of time to avoid missing out on the opportunity to invest.
Make your investment
We will declare the round open and you can then buy shares.Republic Europe/Seedrs will email you the link to invest, before it opens to the wider Republic Europe/Seedrs community.
First come, first served.
We have a limited amount of shares available for the pre-registration spots - and we expect them to go fast. We therefore cannot guarantee that everyone who wants to invest will be able to.
Pre-register today to improve your chance.
What our members say about THE UPCYCL
However, what is currently an even greater challenge is actually obtaining materials. This, in my opinion, highlights the need for and the benefits of thinking in a circular manner. The alternative to our leftover materials is having to buy new materials, which could have a lead time of 6 to 8 months. Through our membership with THE UPCYCL, we have gained inspiration to formalize our secondary sorting process and also to explore other possibilities within our production
Group Sustainability Manager, Superwood
Founder & creative Director FÒLK Reykjavik
It has been wonderful to have a place we could turn to with this challenge and be our spokesperson.
Because our primary function is to serve our customers, which means we neither have the time nor the energy to be proactive in recycling this waste that we have.
Therefore, we think it has been great to collaborate with THE UPCYCL because we know they do their best to find a market for our products
However, when it goes through the planer, some flaws typically occur, such as fallen knots, resulting in a significant number of boards being rejected, which is far too valuable to simply label as "waste". We look for ways to utilize this waste so that it can be used sensibly.
Managing Director Superwood
Co-Founder Underflod
Founder & CEO Rethink Event
Your questions answered
Why is THE UPCYCL crowdfunding?
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Many of you have shown interest in investing in THE UPCYCL. We heard you! This crowdfunding campaign is our way of opening the door to our community and allowing “the people” to take action and invest in a greener future.
We believe that the power to push the green agenda forward lies in the hands of the many, not just a few. We want to move fast, and we believe that an empowered community can accelerate the green transition – faster than politicians and regulations can.
By crowdfunding, we’re not just seeking investments — we’re inviting you to join a movement that’s about more than just financial returns. It’s about giving "the people" a voice and an opportunity to help drive real, sustainable change with their investment choices. Where you choose to invest your money matters.
Please note: we only have a certain number of shares available. It is first come first served, so we encourage you to stay updated on the campaign.
How does the pre-registration work?
To register for our crowdfunding campaign, you need to have an account on Republic Europe/Seedrs, and you need to verify your identity. See Republic Europe/Seedrs guide on How to create your account and become ready to invest.
Find THE UPCYCL campaign under the launching soon section and click on “Get priority access”.
Indicate how much you want to invest now (not legally binding). You will then get exclusive early access to invest in THE UPCYCL.
If you experience any issue pre-registration on Republic Europe/Seedrs, we recommend using Republic Europe’s guide to pre-registration here.
When can I invest?
We open the investment round in THE UPCYCL on October 18th on Republic Europe/Seedrs' platform.
You will only gain access if you are already pre-registred via Republic Europe/Seedrs. You can pre-register via Republic Europe/Seedrs.
Please note, that the number of shares is limited, and demand is high. You will therefore need to be quick, as shares are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
What benefits do shareholders get?
When you invest in THE UPCYCL, you become a co-owner on the same terms as our other investors.
All shares in THE UPCYCL have equal rights, as the company has no share classes.
- Right to dividends and other proceeds distributed by THE UPCYCL.
- Pre-emption rights to subscribe for new shares in a pro rata portion to the shareholders’ shareholding in the event of a capital increase in THE UPCYCL.
- Right of first refusal to purchase shares in a pro rata portion to the shareholders’ shareholding from a shareholder wishing to sell shares in THE UPCYCL.
- Tag-along right to participate in any sale of shares in THE UPCYCL in the same proportion and on the same terms and conditions as offered to a selling shareholder, except for (i) a share transfers related to an incentive program of THE UPCYCL, and (ii) a share transfer of less than 5% of the outstanding shares in THE UPCYCL.
- Drag-along obligation to participate in a sale of shares in THE UPCYCL, if one or more shareholders representing at least 51% of the shares in THE UPCYCL decide to sell all its shares and exercise the drag-along.
Can I sell my THE UPCYCL stocks?
It is not possible to sell your shares in the same way it is on the stock market.
Republic Europe/Seedrs’ Secondary Market allows investors to sell their shares if the company, in this case, THE UPCYCL, grants this option.
Please note, that this is currently not an option. Therefore, it is currently not an option to sell shares in THE UPCYCL on Republic Europe/Seedrs' Secondary Market.
Who can register for the crowdfunding?
Everyone can register for the crowdfunding campaign through Republic Europe/Seedrs, as long as you are a resident in the EU or UK.
If you are based in Switzerland or Norway, which is technically not part of the EU, you are also able to invest through Republic Europe/Seedrs.
How do I create a profile on Republic Europe/Seedrs?
You can create a profile at Republic Europe/Seedrs by navigating to Seedrs website or follow the link here.
Do I need to transfer money to Republic Europe/Seedrs before the investment round?
You can deposit money for the investment in several ways, depending on your preference.
Therefore, you do not need to have transferred money to your Reppublic Europe/Seedrs' account before the investment round.
You can invest using bank transfer, card payment, or by deposting money into your Republic Europe/Seedrs' account and allocate the money from there.
Can I take back my investment?
It is not possible to return or regret your investment, once it has been made.
However, the Republic Europe/Seedrs Secondary Market allows investors to sell their shares if the company, in this case, THE UPCYCL, grants this option.
Please note, THE UPCYCL has not granted this option. Therefore, it is currently not an option to sell the shares in THE UPCYCL.
You can read more about Republic Europe/Seedrs Secondary Market here.
WARNING: Investment in crowdfunding projects entails risks, including the risk of partial or entire loss of the money invested. Your investment is not covered by a deposit guarantee scheme or by an investor compensation scheme.
WARNING: Past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance.
WARNING: Figures are estimates only. They are not a reliable guide to the future performance of this investment.
WARNING: This investment may be affected by changes in currency exchange rates.
Please read the Risk Warnings (https://europe.republic.com/pages/risk-warnings) before investing. Investments should only be made by investors who understand these risks. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and is subject to change in future.
