Uplift360 raises £6.43m seed to chemically regenerate high‑value composite waste
This article covers Uplift360, an advanced materials greentech startup, which has closed a seed funding round of £6.43m (€7.4m) to commercialise a chemical regeneration process for high-quality composite waste. The funding aims to accelerate pilot-scale deployments in the UK and build supply-chain resilience for aerospace, defence, wind energy and high-performance automotive sectors by recovering carbon fibre, aramid and hybrid laminates from end-of-life components.
Uplift360, an advanced materials greentech startup, has closed a seed funding round of £6.43m (€7.4m) to commercialise a chemical regeneration process for high-value composite waste. The funding, led by Extantia with participation from the NATO Innovation Fund, Promus Ventures and Fund F, aims to accelerate pilot-scale deployments in the UK and build supply-chain resilience for aerospace, defence, wind energy and high-performance automotive industries—areas where shortages of virgin carbon fibres and aramids are creating strategic and operational pressure.
Why it matters
Advanced composites such as carbon fibre and aramids are critical to several strategic industries, yet supply is increasingly constrained by geopolitical pressure and limited virgin production. That scarcity, coupled with growing volumes of end-of-life composite waste, creates both a supply vulnerability and an environmental challenge.
Uplift360’s proposition is notable because it targets the value and quality of recovered material rather than producing degraded recyclate. If the technology scales as claimed, it could reduce dependence on fresh raw materials for original equipment manufacturers and prime contractors, and shorten supply chains that are currently global and brittle.
Inside the product
Uplift360 uses a chemical process that it says regenerates advanced composite materials non-degeneratively, producing output with the same quality as the input. The company highlights recovery of hard-to-treat streams including carbon fibre, aramid (for example Kevlar®) and hybrid laminates from end-of-life components.
Planned uses of the seed financing include commissioning a first pilot-scale processing line in the UK in 2026 to validate throughput, integrate customers and scale volumes. The company also intends to expand R&D into regenerated-fibre performance and explore new applications while developing a distributed model for composite circularity across Europe.
Uplift360 already runs projects with established industrial partners: Babcock on Eurofighter Typhoon end-of-life material recovery, Leonardo on converting Merlin helicopter blade material into UxV components, and work with Rolls-Royce. Each project demonstrates a distinct commercial pathway—airframe and rotorcraft material recovery, component re-use for unmanned systems, and engagement with major aero-engine supply chains.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by Extantia, a European deep-tech venture fund, with significant contributions from the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), Promus Ventures and Fund F.
Extantia positions the investment as part of a push to back technologies that can underpin Europe’s reindustrialisation by improving supply-chain resilience for strategic materials. The NATO Innovation Fund frames its participation through a dual-use lens, citing the strategic importance of durable, high-quality regenerated materials for defence and allied industrial capacity. Fund F highlighted the founding team’s operational and deep-tech credentials as a reason to invest.
In the announcement, Joern-Carlos Kuntze, Partner at Extantia, said:
High-performance composites underpin strategic sectors critical to Europe's reindustrialisation, yet remain notoriously difficult to recycle. Uplift360 is changing that: transforming end-of-life materials into high-quality feedstock while building resilient circular supply chains in the process. We're proud to back Sam, Jamie, and the team as they build the circular backbone of the composites industry.
In the announcement, Sander Verbrugge, Partner at the NATO Innovation Fund, said:
Durable, high-quality advanced materials are of strategic importance to securing the future of NATO nations. Uplift360’s platform is exactly the kind of dual-use innovation Europe needs — tackling a real supply-chain vulnerability, reducing carbon emissions and bolstering the resilience of the sectors that underpin European industrialisation and competitiveness.
In the announcement, Carina Roth, Investment Manager at Fund F, said:
Uplift360 stands out due to Sam and Jamie’s exceptional synergy, deep industry expertise and drive to create an impact. Their team perfectly bridges deep-tech innovation with the operational maturity needed to scale, positioning them uniquely to turn composite waste into a sovereign industrial strength.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Sam Staincliffe, CEO & Co-Founder of Uplift360, said:
This investment is a clear signal that Europe intends to lead in sustainable advanced-materials manufacturing. Our technology turns what is currently burned, buried or exported into a reliable, high-quality feedstock stream, strengthening supply-chains for primes, OEMs and government customers. With Extantia and the NATO Innovation Fund behind us, we’re now positioned to scale with urgency.
Staincliffe’s statement frames the raise as both a commercial and strategic validation, underscoring plans to move from lab and pilot activity to customer-integrated processing lines.
The bigger picture
The deal sits at the intersection of greentech, defence industrial policy and EU/UK efforts to onshore critical manufacturing capabilities. It reflects growing investor appetite for technologies that reduce reliance on virgin materials and shorten complex global supply chains—an interest that has been amplified by recent geopolitical shocks and net-zero commitments.
For the UK and Europe, technologies that can close material loops for composites may support domestic manufacturing and lower emissions from waste management and long-distance transport of feedstock. The involvement of the NATO Innovation Fund signals that some backers view advanced-materials circularity as a matter of strategic resilience as well as sustainability.
As Uplift360 moves towards pilot operations in 2026, its progress will be one to watch for policymakers and procurement teams in defence and civil industry looking to balance sovereign capability, cost and environmental impact.
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