Estonian company Jälle Technologies has raised €2 million in pre-seed funding to transform end-of-life lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars into critical raw materials. This investment will help the company expand production, validate its proprietary technology at scale, and grow its team in Estonia.
Europe is facing a massive battery recycling challenge. Electric car batteries typically last around 13 to 15 years. Given when electric vehicles started to become popular in Europe, it is expected that in 4 to 5 years, a larger number of batteries will reach the aftermarket.
“By achieving very high battery recycling efficiencies and enabling advanced applications through our graphene-like materials, we contribute to addressing Europe’s critical raw materials challenge.”
Erki Ani, CEO of Jälle Technologies
By 2030, end-of-life lithium-ion battery volumes are expected to exceed 230 kilotonnes annually—a 70-fold increase over 2020 levels. New EU regulations require at least 70% recycling efficiency for these batteries, pushing the industry to adopt more advanced and sustainable technologies.
“While the whole world is geared towards electrification, energy storage needs are inevitably on the rise. What happens with these batteries once they’ve reached end of life? With Jälle we are looking a few steps ahead of the curve to be ready for the tidal wave of dead batteries,” said Erki Ani, CEO of Jälle Technologies.
Jälle tackles Europe’s critical challenge
“By achieving very high battery recycling efficiencies and enabling advanced applications through our graphene-like materials, we contribute to addressing Europe’s critical raw materials challenge,” he added.
Jälle approaches this challenge with a science-driven methodology. The team—comprising Kerli Liivand, Martin Jantson, Reio Praats, Erki Ani, and Ivar Kruusenberg—has built upon years of research conducted at the National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics in Estonia. They have developed proprietary recycling processes that facilitate the efficient recovery of critical metals and the upcycling of typically discarded graphite waste into high-value, graphene-like materials.
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Few-layer graphene-based materials are among the world’s thinnest known materials, celebrated for their exceptional strength, conductivity, and flexibility. This makes them valuable for advanced applications in composites, coatings, electronics, and energy storage.
“Recovering critical materials at scale is a real challenge. Our focus is on making sure what we build isn’t just great science but something the industry can rely on. Producing graphene-like materials could improve everything from composites to construction, making materials stronger, lighter, more conductive, and more efficient,” noted Kerli Liivand, CTO of Jälle Technologies.
The funding boosts Jälle’s mission to transform battery recycling
The pre-seed round combines competitive grant support from Enterprise Estonia (EIS) and the Environmental Investment Centre (KIK) with early-stage equity investments from Kiilto Ventures, 2C Ventures, and experienced angel investors Andrus Purde and Priit Viru. This group brings together sustainability expertise, commercial insight, and strategic support to help Jälle scale.
“Recovering critical materials at scale is a real challenge. Our focus is on making sure what we build isn’t just great science but something the industry can rely on.”
Kerli Liivand, CTO of Jälle Technologies
“Battery recycling is no longer optional. Jälle’s team combines deep technical expertise with a clear commercialization strategy, making them exactly the type of founder-led, high-impact company we strive to support from our fund,” said Hendrik Reimand, Founding Partner at 2C Ventures.
With this new funding, Jälle Technologies will focus on expanding pilot-scale production, validating recycling processes at industrial scale, and building a world-class team in Estonia.
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