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Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech’s most innovative B2B founders. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Antoine Welter, CEO & Co-Founder of Circu Li-ion, a battery upcycling company that has raised $8.5 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Antoine's early experiences with anti-consumption and environmental consciousness shaped his entrepreneurial journey. For founders, personal beliefs and experiences can be a powerful source of inspiration and differentiation. When looking for business ideas, reflect on personal values and how they can address global challenges.
Circu Li-ion addresses the complex issue of battery waste with a relatively straightforward approach — disassembling and recycling components. This highlights the importance of aiming to solve significant problems with solutions that, at their core, are simple and understandable. Founders should seek out big problems and consider if there is a simpler, overlooked solution.
The ability of Circu Li-ion's technology to handle a variety of battery types showcases the importance of building flexibility into your product from the start. Founders should consider how their solutions can be adaptable to different use cases or customer needs, potentially opening up new market opportunities.
Especially in B2B, the economic benefit of your solution is often the primary interest of potential customers. Antoine's strategy of leading with cost savings in the US market underscores the necessity of having a clear, compelling economic value proposition before layering on additional benefits like sustainability.
Circu Li-ion's strategy to scale by integrating their solution into existing facilities provides a model for rapid expansion without the burden of building from scratch. For startups in sectors where infrastructure is a barrier, partnering with established players can offer a pathway to scaling while mitigating risks and capital expenditure.