MacroCycle Technologies, a Cambridge, MA-based upcycling tech company, raised $6.5m in Seed funding.
The round was led by Clean Energy Ventures, and Volta Circle, Indorama Ventures. KDT Ventures and Neotribe Ventures also participated.
The company intends to use the funds to grow operations and scale its pilot plant facilities to meet the demand for its upcycled PET and polyester resin from initial customers.
Led by CEO Stwart Pena Feliz, and CTO Dr. Jan-Georg Rosenboom, MacroCycle develops technology that upgrades plastic waste into its previous high-quality “virgin-grade” form, without having to break the plastic down. Its chemistry and selective non-toxic reagents simplify the process so that it requires up to 80% less energy than fossil-based PET production, and at least 50% lower capital expenditure than competing chemical or biologic recycling methods.
The company’s first pilot plant will support large-scale product validation and produce the first bottles and garments made entirely from its recycled PET resin.
With early support from the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program, MacroCycle has already scaled up its technology 100x from lab-scale beakers to a pilot plant running at The Engine Accelerator’s facilities in Massachusetts.
FinSMEs
06/02/2025