WEBIT Founders Games
SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH
| Startup Name: | SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH |
| Country: | Germany |
| Date Founded: | /6/2021 |
| Financial Stage: | Round A |
| Area: | Planet & Climate Tech |
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We recycle solar panels and are the first to recover all raw materials inside a solar panel. Founded in 2021 we are today a fully certified reycling company in Germany with a pilot line of 3,000 tons (50,000 panels) annual capacity.
Solar panels are the fastest growing electronic waste stream globally. We address this challenge with a low-cost thermo-mechanical process to recover all raw materials inside a solar panel: glass, aluminium, copper, silicon and the value-driver silver.
While traditonal recyclers loose silicon and silver by shredding and sorting, we recover both and thus receive up to 50% more revenue from raw materials. With our easy to scale mechanical approach we also outsmart chemical solutions, which are costly and technical complex.
We act as a service provider and recycle solar panels for a fee, while we sell the raw materials to industrial customers. Thus, we have a two-sided business model.
Addressable market size in USD: 70 bil (Source)
Our customers for recycling are large solar park operators like GME, Enerparc, and others, while raw materials are sold to large industrial players in the glass and metal industry.
In October 2023 we opened our first certified recycling pilot and closed our Series A round in April 2024. We will bring a full-sized industrial line with 7,200 tons online in May 2025. We also received EIC Accelertor funding of up to €6.5 million for on-going R&D and investment into Series B.
Financing Stage:
Seed:| Raised money: | 600000 EUR |
| Valuated at: | 6000000 EUR |
| Investor: | bmp Ventures AG |
| Closing Date: | 09/2021 |
| Raised money: | 2500000 EUR |
| Valuated at: | 12000000 EUR |
| Investor: | bmp Ventures AG |
| Closing Date: | 02/2023 |
| Raised money: | 10100000 EUR |
| Valuated at: | 35000000 EUR |
| Investor: | bmp Ventures AG |
| Closing Date: | 04/2024 |
Current Revenue:
| Current Year: | 200000 EUR |
| 1 year ago: | 0 EUR |
| 2 years ago: | 0 EUR |
| 3 years ago: | 0 EUR |
Next year expected revenue:
650000 EUR
650000 EUR
Development Stage:
Post-revenue
Post-revenue
Аre you in currently in an open Investment round?
No
No
| Team member 1: | Fridolin Franke |
| Position: | Co-CEO |
| LinkedIn Profile: | View Profile » |
| Bio: | **Fridolin Franke** is the visionary founder of SOLAR MATERIALS, renowned for his pioneering contributions to the renewable energy sector. With a background in materials science, Franke founded the company with a mission to revolutionize solar energy. Under his leadership, SOLAR MATERIALS has become a leader in developing cutting-edge solar cell technology and sustainable manufacturing processes. Franke's commitment to innovation and sustainability continues to drive the company forward, making significant strides towards a cleaner, greener future. |
| Team member 2: | Jan Bargel |
| Position: | CTO |
| LinkedIn Profile: | View Profile » |
| Bio: | **Jan Bargel** is a trailblazing figure in the renewable energy industry, renowned for his innovative contributions as the co-founder of SOLAR MATERIALS. With a background in engineering, Bargel shares Fridolin Franke's passion for sustainable technologies. Together, they established SOLAR MATERIALS with a bold vision to revolutionize solar energy. Bargel's expertise in research and development has been instrumental in driving the company's success, leading to groundbreaking advancements in solar cell technology and energy storage solutions. As SOLAR MATERIALS continues to thrive under Bargel's guidance, his dedication to pushing the boundaries of innovation remains unwavering, shaping a brighter and more sustainable future for generations to come. |