DEScycle Secures $10.8M to Scale Critical Metal Recovery

Jan de Vries · 2026-06-02

DEScycle, a London-based startup building next-generation metals processing infrastructure for critical and precious metals recovery, has secured over $10.8 million in confirmed non-dilutive funding over the past 10 months from European and UK innovation programs. This funding comes from a series of competitive programs, including $5.4 million from EU Horizon, $1.6 million from Germany's SPRIND, $2.7 million from the EIC Accelerator, $1.1 million awarded through Innovate UK Investor Partnerships, and $625,000 through a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. In November 2024, the firm also raised $13.2 million in a Series A round. ### Why This Matters for Critical Metals Fred White, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at DEScycle, said, "Critical raw materials are becoming a strategic priority for both the UK and Europe, and that is creating growing demand for new metals processing infrastructure. Securing more than $10 million in confirmed non-dilutive funding across competitive European and UK programs is a strong signal of the importance of domestic metals recovery." "For DEScycle, this funding helps de-risk deployment by allowing us to run our demo plant for longer, generate more data and make better design decisions before commercial scale-up. It also enables us to trial and integrate complementary technologies into our platform, helping us bring a stronger product to market."  ### How DEScycle's Technology Works DEScycle is a DeepTech startup that creates innovative metal recovery and recycling methods using eco-friendly Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES). It has developed a distributed, modular platform that deploys repeatable, capital-light units, enabling metals to be recovered closer to where materials are generated. Starting with electronic waste, DEScycle says it transforms underutilized domestic waste streams into a resilient, sovereign metal supply. This reduces exposure to long, geographically concentrated supply chains while supporting UK industrial capability. The UK startup claims its proprietary ionometallurgy platform enables lower-capital-expenditure, lower-energy processing. This unlocks faster returns on capital and scalable network growth without the constraints of traditional smelting infrastructure.  ### What the Funding Will Support This funding will support workstreams strategically important to DEScycle's move toward industrial validation. This includes operating its demo plant for longer, generating additional data to inform design decisions, expanding customer trial capabilities, and integrating complementary technologies into the company's wider platform. It will also support the development of digital product passports. These are intended to provide traceability for recovered metals and help customers understand provenance throughout the supply chain. ### Timeline and Partnerships Construction of DEScycle's demo plant is progressing in Teesside, with a planned launch in the second half of 2026. The company has also secured strategic and commercial validation from partners, including Mitsubishi, GAP Group, and Cisco. GAP Group and Cisco are confirmed for customer trials in 2026, as the company moves toward broader commercial engagement. Key takeaways from this development: - DEScycle secured over $10.8 million in non-dilutive grant funding - The funding supports longer demo plant operation and better design decisions - Digital product passports will track recovered metals through the supply chain - Commercial trials with major partners are scheduled for 2026 This funding round marks a significant step for DEScycle as it works to build a more sustainable and resilient metals supply chain for Europe and the UK.