Sorted Technologies raises £920k from Green Angel Ventures and Archipelago Ventures
This article covers Sorted Technologies, a London greentech startup, which has raised £920k in a pre-seed funding round from Green Angel Ventures, existing investor Archipelago Ventures and a syndicate of angel investors. The funding will be used to scale production and deploy low-cost AI-powered retrofit robotic systems to automate the final stage of waste sorting at material recovery facilities, targeting recycling operators and smaller and mid-sized facilities.
Sorted Technologies, a London greentech startup, has raised £920,000 in a pre-seed funding round from Green Angel Ventures, existing investor Archipelago Ventures and a group of angel investors. The cash will be used to scale production and deploy low-cost, AI-powered robotic systems that automate the final step of waste sorting at material recovery facilities — a potentially important lever as recycling systems strain under rising waste volumes.
Why it matters
Global waste volumes are growing faster than populations and recycling capacity. The World Bank warns that waste could increase by 50% by 2050 if current practices continue. Many recycling plants still rely on manual sorting, with labour making up 50 to 70 percent of operating costs and constraining how much material can be recovered economically.
If retrofit robotics can lower operating costs and increase recovery rates without requiring facility redesigns or heavy capital outlay, smaller and mid-sized recycling operators could meaningfully boost diversion from incineration and landfill. That is the claim Sorted Technologies is betting on with this financing.
Inside the product
Sorted Technologies combines proprietary computer vision with lightweight retrofit robots delivered under a Robot-as-a-Service model. The system is designed to be bolted onto existing conveyor lines so operators can add automated sorting without large upfront capital expenditure or rebuilding facilities.
Early pilots with large operators including Suez, Biffa and Bywaters reportedly showed reduced volumes sent to incineration and improvements in workforce efficiency. The company says its approach targets the last, most labour-intensive stage of sorting where manual pickers currently separate residual materials.
Who are the investors?
The round brought in Green Angel Ventures, participation from existing backer Archipelago Ventures and a syndicate of angel investors to reach the £920,000 total. The funding is earmarked for scaling production and robot deployment to meet commercial demand across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In the announcement, Surakat Kudehinbu, Investor at Green Angel Ventures, said:
Arthur and his team's understanding of the waste industry and advanced computer vision capabilities has helped them build a highly differentiated solution. Their low-cost retrofit system requires no upfront capital investment and can be deployed without redesigning existing facilities, making robotic waste sorting accessible to smaller and mid-sized Material Recovery Facilities, all while aiding the increase in material recovery.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Arthur Goujon, Co-founder & CEO at Sorted Technologies, said:
Our early customer pilots demonstrated that our technology can significantly reduce the amount of material sent to incineration. With this investment, we are excited to bring our robotic sorting systems to more recycling operators and help unlock greater recovery of materials across the industry.
Goujon has positioned the business around a low-cost retrofit that avoids the high capex barrier that often blocks automation projects in older or smaller facilities. That focus shapes both product design and the commercial Robot-as-a-Service pricing model.
The bigger picture
The deal sits at the intersection of cost pressure in waste management and growing appetite for greentech solutions that can be retrofitted into legacy infrastructure. Demand from major operators provides early validation, but wider adoption will depend on demonstrable, replicable gains in material recovery and unit economics for operators.
For the UK and Europe, where regulators and markets are increasingly focused on circularity and extended producer responsibility, technologies that make recycling more efficient without large capital investments could accelerate material recovery across the system. The financing into Sorted Technologies reflects continued interest from greentech investors in practical automation solutions that can be deployed across existing waste infrastructure.
They've invested in Sorted Technologies
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| Investors | Investment Focus | Startup Investments | Round Size | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Green Angel Ventures( ) Green Angel Ventures focuses on investing in UK startup companies that are dedic... London  | ||||
 Archipelago Ventures( ) Archipelago is a venture capital firm focused on transformative technologies wit... London | ||||
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