LabCycle raises pre-seed to recycle contaminated lab plastic into high-grade pellets
This article covers LabCycle, a greentech startup, which has closed a pre-seed funding round after securing investment from the Angel Academe EIS Fund managed by SyndicateRoom. The funding aims to scale LabCycle's process for recycling contaminated laboratory plastic and widen adoption across research and healthcare organisations.
LabCycle, a greentech startup, has closed a pre-seed funding round after securing investment from the Angel Academe EIS Fund, managed by SyndicateRoom. The deal — the fund’s second — includes participation from members of the Angel Academe syndicate and will be used to scale LabCycle’s process for recycling contaminated laboratory plastic and widen adoption across research and healthcare organisations.
Why it matters
Laboratory and clinical settings generate large volumes of single-use plastic that are difficult and costly to decontaminate. Research cited by the company estimates around 5.5 million tonnes of laboratory plastic waste annually, and the press release notes bio and clinical lab waste represents nearly 1.5% of global plastic waste. Much of that material has historically been consigned to landfill or incineration, which raises costs and carbon emissions for research institutions and healthcare providers.
A commercially viable route to reclaiming that material would cut supply-chain demand for virgin plastics in life sciences, reduce waste-management costs, and provide a measurable emissions benefit. The investment in LabCycle is positioned as an early step toward that outcome.
Inside the product
LabCycle’s technology targets contaminated but high-grade laboratory plastic—items such as pipette tips, tubes and single-use labware—that are typically routed to destruction because of decontamination complexity. The company says its proprietary process converts contaminated plastic waste into high-grade recycled plastic pellets suitable for reuse within healthcare and biotech supply chains.
If the material quality and regulatory compliance meet healthcare standards, those pellets could be used to make laboratory consumables or non-clinical components, closing a loop that is currently broken in many research estates.
Who are the investors?
The lead investor is the Angel Academe EIS Fund, which is managed by SyndicateRoom. The announcement says the investment marks the fund’s second deal and that members of the Angel Academe syndicate participated alongside SyndicateRoom. Angel Academe is known for deliberately backing female-founded companies with demonstrable impact, and the fund’s involvement signals targeted support for founders operating in sustainability and life sciences adjacencies.
In the announcement, Tom Britton, Partner at SyndicateRoom, said:
Plastic waste from bio and clinical labs accounts for nearly 1.5% of total global plastic waste. Backing LabCycle is backing a company solving a multi-billion pound logistics and sustainability problem for the entire life sciences industry.
In the announcement, Chris Connely, Investor at Angel Academe, said:
Research and healthcare organisations generate vast volumes of contaminated waste that only LabCycle can recycle, reducing both carbon emissions and cost. Angel Academe are delighted to be a part of the journey, backing a brilliant team and technology.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Helen Liang, Co-founder & CEO at LabCycle, said:
It’s been hugely encouraging to work with investors who bring genuine conviction, thoughtful challenge and strong support for founders. Angel Academe and SyndicateRoom have backed both the urgency of the problem and the strength of our team, and we’re excited to have them alongside us as we scale LabCycle and transform how research and healthcare industries handle plastic waste.
LabCycle was founded by a team of female scientists. That founding story and the fund’s mandate to back female founders are linked by the investors as part of their rationale for the allocation.
The bigger picture
The deal sits at the intersection of circular economy policy and the life sciences sector’s growing focus on sustainability. For UK research institutions and the NHS, reducing waste streams and procurement of virgin plastics are increasingly part of net-zero and procurement discussions. For greentech investors, solutions that couple clear emissions reductions with cost savings in established sectors are becoming more attractive.
This investment also highlights a pattern among investors to target female-founded companies and mission-led technologies within the UK ecosystem. If LabCycle can demonstrate regulatory-compliant material recovery at scale, it could influence purchasing and waste-management practices across research and healthcare providers in the UK and beyond.
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