They live and work at different ends of the world and yet they have two things in common: They prevent pollutant emissions on a grand scale - and they are all meeting in North Rhine-Westphalia in the fall to do so. The jury of the Circular Valley Foundation has selected 19 start-ups to be supported in the extended Rhine-Ruhr region. The young companies are based around the globe: from Argentina to Australia and from Iceland to Uganda.
The founders will considerably advance their business models at Circular Valley. The circular economy Initiative provides them with top-class coaches and mentors, gives them a unique insight into the practical side of the industry and, thanks to its large network, puts them in touch with potential partners and investors.
Highlight of the funding program is the Circular Valley Forum on 15 November. More than 1,000 decision-makers will attend and get to know the start-ups' ideas at the DemoDay. More than 100 young companies from all over the world have already benefited from this comprehensive funding program. They are making an important contribution to the major goal of Circular Valley: the transformation from a linear to a genuine circular economy.

The new round of the funding program focuses on three main topics:
1. Renewable energy and energy storage
The basis of a functioning circular economy is the energy transition. That is why the entire spectrum of this topic area plays a central role in the new funding round: from generating, conversing and increasing efficiency to storing energy.
2. Mechanical recycling of plastics
The second focus is also broadly defined. For example, the young companies have developed business models for recycling packaging or recycling plastic waste in companies. The aim of Circular Valley is to develop new methods to maintain high quality levels and new processes to enable plastics to be re-used multiply times.
3. Circular use of machinery, equipment, appliances and furnishings
The start-ups in this area are concerned with, among other things, cleanly separating recyclable materials from old clothing, re-using waste from 3D printing and brokering unused production capacities.
The start-ups at a glance:
1. Renewable energy and energy storage: Carbo Energy Storage C-Corp (Argentina) Heaten Germany (Germany), Hydrogenea (Germany), Re:notch Energy (Sweden).
2. Mechanical recycling of plastics: Craft Planet (Nigeria), Flux Polymers (Germany), Kyuka ventures innovation hub (Uganda), Novoloop (USA), Waste to Wealth (Tanzania).
3. Circular use of machinery, equipment, appliances and furnishings: BioFashionTech (Netherlands), Circular Library Network (Iceland), QiTech Industries GmbH (Germany), Ressourcly (Germany), Triangular-PST (Germany), WorkbenchX (Australia).
4. Others: Carbon Craft (India), Circonomit (Germany), instrAction (Germany), Nunos (Germany).