San Francisco-based startup Glacier has raised $16 million in a Sequence A funding spherical to speed up the deployment of its AI-powered recycling robots throughout the USA, as reported by TechCrunch.com.
The funding spherical was led by Ecosystem Integrity Fund, with participation from traders together with Amazon’s Local weather Pledge Fund, New Enterprise Associates, AlleyCorp, and others.
Glacier’s robots make the most of superior laptop imaginative and prescient and machine studying to determine and type over 30 sorts of recyclable supplies at a price of 45 objects per minute.
Designed to be compact and simply integrable into current services, these robots purpose to boost the effectivity of fabric restoration services (MRFs) with out vital infrastructure adjustments.
The corporate has already deployed its know-how in cities comparable to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Phoenix, and Seattle. The brand new capital will assist Glacier’s efforts to increase its presence in extra municipalities, additional develop its know-how, and develop its workforce.
Co-founded in 2019 by Rebecca Hu and Areeb Malik, Glacier goals to deal with the challenges confronted by the recycling business, together with labor shortages and contamination points. By automating the sorting course of, the corporate seeks to enhance recycling charges and scale back the quantity of waste despatched to landfills.
Sasha Brown, companion at Ecosystem Integrity Fund, says: “With practically 80 % of residential recyclables not being recycled, there’s a urgent want for revolutionary options.
“Glacier’s AI-driven strategy affords a sensible and inexpensive option to improve recycling operations.”