R3 Robotics

Cover Block

Name	R3 Robotics
Tagline	AI-powered robotic systems for automated dismantling of end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) systems.
Headquarters	Foetz, Luxembourg
Founded	2021
Stage	Series A
Business Model	B2B
Industry	Deeptech
Technology	Robotics
Geography	Western Europe
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Co-Founders (2)
Funding Label	Series A (total disclosed ~$28,380,000)

Links

• Website: https://www.circuli-ion.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/circu-li-ion/

What an Investor Needs First

R3 Robotics is building an automated industrial system to dismantle end-of-life electric vehicles, a process that is currently manual, hazardous, and a growing bottleneck for the circular economy [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief]. Founded in 2021 as Circu Li-ion, the company initially focused on lithium-ion battery packs before expanding its robotic platform to handle complete EV systems, including e-drives and power electronics [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief]. The core differentiation lies in combining 3D vision, adaptive motion planning, and purpose-built tooling to automate the 'dull, dangerous, and dirty' work of disassembly, aiming to recover reusable parts and materials with greater speed, safety, and data traceability than manual methods [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief].

Co-founders Antoine Welter (CEO) and Dr. Xavier Kohll (CTO) have not publicly disclosed prior exits or extensive corporate backgrounds, but the company has attracted a board director with significant industry credibility in Peter Mohnen, the former CEO of KUKA Robotics [Crunchbase]. The business model is B2B, targeting automotive OEMs and European recyclers, and the company has secured substantial capital to scale, raising a total of approximately €28.5 million in equity and grants since 2023, including a €14 million Series A co-led by HG Ventures and Suma Capital in February 2026 [Grishin Robotics, Feb 2026] [EIT Urban Mobility].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core product and funding totals are corroborated by multiple sources; specific customer names and detailed founder backgrounds are not publicly detailed.

Taxonomy Snapshot

Axis	Classification
Stage	Series A
Business Model	B2B
Industry / Vertical	Deeptech
Technology Type	Robotics
Geography	Western Europe
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Co-Founders (2)
Funding	~$28.38M total disclosed

Inside the Company

The company now known as R3 Robotics was founded in 2021 as Circu Li-ion, a name that reflected its initial focus on lithium-ion battery upcycling [TechCrunch, October 2023]. Based in Foetz, Luxembourg, the startup has since expanded its technological ambition, culminating in a formal rebrand to R3 Robotics in early 2026 to signal its broader scope in automating the disassembly of entire electric vehicle systems [electrive.com, March 2026]. The legal entity is R3 Robotics SA, a Luxembourg-based company [northdata.com, December 2025].

Key operational milestones trace a path from concept to industrial deployment. The company secured its first significant external capital with a $4.8 million seed round in October 2023 [Seedtable]. This funding supported the development of its core platform and the establishment of a fully certified disassembly facility in Karlsruhe, Germany, which serves as its primary industrial-scale demonstration site [EIT Urban Mobility]. The most recent milestone was a €20 million capital raise in February 2026, comprising a €14 million Series A equity round co-led by HG Ventures and Suma Capital, supplemented by €6 million in European grants [AI World]. This capital is earmarked for scaling its automated dismantling infrastructure and accelerating industrial deployment [Preqin].

Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by multiple independent public sources including Crunchbase, TechCrunch, and investor press releases.

Under the Hood

R3 Robotics sells a modular, automated dismantling platform for end-of-life electric vehicle systems. The core offering is a robotic cell that combines 3D computer vision, adaptive motion planning, and proprietary software to disassemble EV battery packs, e-drives, and power electronics at industrial scale [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief]. The system is designed to replace hazardous manual labor, increasing throughput and precision while generating diagnostic data to inform decisions on component repair, reuse, or recycling [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief].

The company's initial focus was on lithium-ion battery packs, a capability it has since expanded to encompass entire EV systems [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief]. The platform's modularity suggests a degree of flexibility to handle different product form factors, which is a key claim in its marketing [Circu Li-ion]. Beyond physical disassembly, the company offers a companion software product: a professional battery pack intelligence platform that allows car dismantlers to look up detailed specifications, module data, and market information by article number [Circu Li-ion].

Public descriptions of the technology stack are high-level. The combination of 3D vision and adaptive motion planning implies a reliance on machine learning for perception and robotic control. The company operates a fully certified disassembly facility in Karlsruhe, Germany, which serves as its primary demonstration and operational site [EIT Urban Mobility].

Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Product claims are consistent across multiple investor and press sources.

Market Research

The market for automated EV component disassembly is being pulled into existence by a regulatory and demographic wave that is creating a supply of end-of-life systems far sooner than traditional recycling infrastructure can handle manually.

Metric	Value
Lithium-ion Battery Recycling (Global)	~$6.5B (2023), >20% CAGR
Industrial Robotics (Global)	Multi-billion dollar sector
EU Battery Regulation	Mandates recycling efficiency & recycled content

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is drawn from analogous, well-established third-party reports for adjacent sectors; the specific niche sizing is not publicly available from named sources.

Competition and Substitutes

R3 Robotics enters a market where established industrial giants and specialized recyclers are the primary alternatives to manual labor, positioning its automated platform as a capital-intensive productivity solution for a nascent but scaling problem.

Company	Positioning	Stage / Funding	Notable Differentiator
R3 Robotics	AI-powered robotic systems for automated dismantling of end-of-life EV systems.	Series A, ~$28.4M total disclosed.	Integrated platform combining 3D vision, adaptive motion planning, and purpose-built tooling.
ExxonMobil	Global energy and chemical corporation with a battery recycling business unit.	Public company.	Vertically integrated supply chain, massive capital for scaling hydrometallurgical recycling.
Umicore	Global materials technology and recycling group.	Public company.	Long-standing expertise in precious metals and battery material chemistry.
CATL	World's largest EV battery manufacturer.	Public company.	Unmatched access to OEM battery design data and a captive stream of production scrap.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor positioning inferred from public business descriptions; R3 Robotics's differentiation and funding are confirmed by multiple sources.

Opportunity

The prize for R3 Robotics is the role of default infrastructure for the industrial-scale, automated recovery of critical materials from the electrified economy, a market whose scale is measured in billions of dollars of recovered value and avoided waste.

Scenario	What happens	Catalyst
OEM Partnership Standard	R3 Robotics' automated cells become the default, on-site solution for major automotive manufacturers.	A strategic partnership or a multi-site deployment contract with a single, named European automotive OEM.
Recycler Network Rollout	The company transitions from operating its own facilities to licensing its modular platform to a network of established European recyclers.	The successful replication of the Karlsruhe facility model with a second, independent recycling partner.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Opportunity framing is based on cited product direction and market positioning; growth scenarios are plausible extrapolations from confirmed business model and facility status.

Sources

1. [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief] R3 Robotics - AI Startup Profile | https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/r3-robotics
2. [Grishin Robotics, Feb 2026] Grishin Robotics LinkedIn Post | https://www.linkedin.com/company/grishin-robotics/
3. [EIT Urban Mobility] EIT Urban Mobility Portfolio Page | https://www.eiturbanmobility.eu/portfolio/r3-robotics/
4. [Crunchbase] R3 Robotics - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/circu-li-ion
5. [TechCrunch, October 2023] Smart upcycling machine dissects batteries to save them | https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/23/smart-upcycling-machine-dissects-batteries-to-save-them/
6. [Seedtable] R3 Robotics Funding Profile | https://www.seedtable.com/startups/r3-robotics
7. [electrive.com, March 2026] Circu Li-ion becomes R3 Robotics and aims to dismantle entire electric vehicles | https://www.electrive.com/2026/03/23/circu-li-ion-becomes-r3-robotics-and-aims-to-dismantle-entire-electric-vehicles/
8. [AI World] R3 Robotics Raises €20M | https://www.aiworld.com/news/r3-robotics-raises-20m
9. [Preqin] R3 Robotics Series A Funding Details | https://www.preqin.com/company/r3-robotics
10. [northdata.com, December 2025] R3 Robotics SA Company Data | https://www.northdata.com/R3+Robotics+SA,+Foetz/CHR/41590273
11. [Circu Li-ion] Circu Li-ion Solutions Page | https://www.circuli-ion.com/solutions
12. [Research and Markets, 2024] Global Lithium-ion Battery Recycling Market Report | https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/lithium-ion-battery-recycling-market
13. [International Federation of Robotics, 2024] World Robotics Report | https://ifr.org/worldrobotics
14. [European Commission, 2023] EU Battery Regulation | https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/batteries_en
15. [Caplight] R3 Robotics Funding Data | https://www.caplight.com/company/r3-robotics
16. [hgventures.com, 2026-02-06] HG Ventures Portfolio - R3 Robotics | https://www.hgventures.com/portfolio/r3-robotics