AMP Robotics Secures $91 Million to Revolutionize Waste Management with AI-Powered Sorting Systems

AI Takes Out the Trash as Recycling Goes High-Tech | PYMNTS.com

The Colorado-based company just raised $91 million to expand its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered recycling operations, where robots with advanced vision systems sort trash faster and more accurately than humans. As the recycling industry grapples with rising costs and stricter contamination standards, AMP's technology promises to streamline operations and boost recovery rates, turning garbage into gold. AMP's AI relies on deep learning, continuously training itself by analyzing millions of images of waste. It identifies materials by recognizing patterns in colors, textures, shapes, and logos -- spotting a stray plastic bottle in a sea of trash faster than any human. "Recycling rates have stagnated in the United States," said AMP founder Matanya Horowitz in a news release. "Our AI systems help recover more materials, reduce contamination, and ultimately optimize waste operations." The AMP technology also targets a longstanding industry problem: labor shortages. Robots work around the clock, eliminating the need for the grueling manual sorting often performed by humans. With over 400 AI systems deployed worldwide and growing demand for sustainable waste solutions, AMP's machines could redefine recycling facilities' operations. "I believe bins themselves can be made intelligent to reduce human errors, then recycling system can start sorting materials with the help of AI," Abhishek Agrawal, an Amazon AI software engineer, told PYMNTS. Barry Honig, CEO of TruckPay, previously told PYMNTS how digital technology is redefining the waste management industry. Traditionally reliant on cash transactions, the sector is now adopting digital platforms like TruckPay to enhance efficiency and transparency. These platforms offer real-time tracking of materials, streamlined logistics, and various cashless payment options, including virtual wallets and instant transactions. Over the past year, AI-powered systems have gained traction in waste management facilities, which are used to sort materials more accurately and streamline operations. In Europe, Greyparrot, a London-based company, has deployed its AI technology in over 50 recycling facilities. Its systems use cameras and machine learning to analyze waste on conveyor belts in real time, identifying materials such as plastics, paper and metals. The insights help facilities reduce contamination and improve sorting efficiency. Greyparrot's technology is also pushing manufacturers to redesign packaging for easier recycling. Another player, Recycleye, uses robotic arms equipped with AI to automate sorting. The robots can quickly identify and separate materials like aluminum and PET plastic, boosting productivity and addressing labor shortages. In the U.K., Recorra, a recycling firm, recently upgraded its operations with Recycleye's technology to modernize its material recovery process. AI's influence extends beyond sorting lines. Companies like WestRock are turning to AI to design sustainable packaging that is easier to recycle. These efforts align with the broader goals of transitioning to a circular economy, where resources are reused and waste is minimized. Municipalities are also adopting AI to address recycling challenges. A $24 million materials recovery facility featuring AI sorting systems in Tasmania now processes recyclables from more than 100,000 households. Over the past year, AI-powered systems have gained traction in waste management facilities, where they are being used to sort materials more accurately and streamline operations. "In the metals recycling industry, AI is being used to predict market trends and help recyclers make informed decisions regarding the buying, selling and inventory management of scrap metals," Joe Floam, owner of ScrapWare wrote on his company's blog. "AI algorithms can analyze large volumes of market data -- including prices, supply and demand, and trade patterns -- and then identify patterns within the data to predict future market trends. This helps recyclers plan their operations better by optimizing production and managing inventory based on the expected demand for specific metals."

AMP Robotics Secures $91 Mn Funding to Expand AI-Powered Waste Management

"This investment will help us lower sortation costs, capture more material value, and extend landfill life," says Matanya Horowitz, AMP founder. The US-based AMP Robotics Corp. has raised $91 million in Series D funding, led by Congruent Ventures, to accelerate the deployment of its AI-driven sortation systems for municipal solid waste and recycling. The financing round also saw participation from Sequoia Capital, XN, Blue Earth Capital, Liberty Mutual Investments, and others. "We are tackling larger projects to drive real outcomes for waste companies and municipalities," said Matanya Horowitz, AMP founder. "This investment will help us lower sortation costs, capture more material value, and extend landfill life, all while optimising the industry's assets." The funds will support the expansion of AMP ONE, a technology capable of sorting waste and recyclable materials at scale. AMP has already demonstrated the system's effectiveness in Portsmouth, Virginia. The company also recently entered a partnership with Waste Connections, Inc. to equip a single-stream recycling facility in Colorado. AMP's AI platform is designed to increase recycling rates, reduce landfill waste, and recover valuable materials. AMP Robotics uses AI and deep learning to continuously improve its systems by processing millions of material images. The company's technology identifies recyclables and contaminants in real-time, increasing efficiency and reducing manual sorting. With these advancements, AMP has expanded its capabilities to include municipal solid waste sorting, a sector previously underdeveloped in the recycling industry. Abe Yokell, co-founder of Congruent Ventures, stated, "AMP's AI systems enable consumers and communities to recycle more effectively, reduce reliance on landfills, and recover valuable materials while cutting emissions." Tim Stuart, AMP CEO, added, "We are positioned to reshape the waste and recycling landscape with cost-effective, high-performance systems that drive sustainability." AMP has deployed more than 400 AI systems globally, processing over 2.5 million tons of recyclables, and continues to expand its impact on the waste management industry.

AMP Raises $91 Million in Series D Funding to Revolutionize Waste

Latest investment to support expansion to process municipal solid waste and single-stream recycling at scale DENVER-(BUSINESS WIRE)-December 5, 2024- AMP Robotics Corp. ("AMP"), a leading provider of AI-powered sortation at scale for the waste and recycling industry, has raised $91 million in corporate equity in a Series D financing led by Congruent Ventures. The round featured participation from current and new investors, including Sequoia Capital, XN, Blue Earth Capital, Liberty Mutual Investments, California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS), Wellington Management, Range Ventures, and Tao Capital Partners. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205769962/en/ AMP will use the latest funding to accelerate the deployment of its AMP ONE™ systems, which are capable of cost-effectively sorting municipal solid waste (MSW), as demonstrated by the first-of-its-kind system AMP operates in Portsmouth, Virginia. Last month, AMP also entered into an agreement with Waste Connections, Inc. (TSX/NYSE: WCN) to equip and operate one of Waste Connections' single-stream recycling facilities in Colorado. AMP ONE provides a full-scale facility solution to sort various material streams and capture more of the billions of dollars in value otherwise lost to landfills or incinerated annually. "Recycling rates have stagnated in the United States, despite the positive benefits recycling offers local economies and the environment," said Matanya Horowitz, founder of AMP. "This latest investment enables us to tackle larger projects and deliver real outcomes for waste companies and municipalities - by lowering sortation costs, capturing more material value, diverting organic waste, and extending landfill life - all while helping the industry optimize its strategic assets." AMP's AI uses deep learning to continuously train itself by processing millions of material images into data. The software uses pattern recognition of colors, textures, shapes, sizes, and logos to identify recyclables and contaminants in real time, enabling new offtake chemistries and capabilities. AMP's first products were a series of sorting robots deployed with minimal retrofit into existing recycling facilities. The company then pioneered a series of next-generation, transformative recycling facilities. With near-zero manual sorting, unprecedented reliability, and pervasive data, these facilities make the recovery of commodities safer and more cost-effective than ever and have grown to encompass MSW sorting, an offering out of reach to the industry prior to the advent of AMP's technology. Abe Yokell, co-founder and managing partner of Congruent Ventures, said, "AMP's AI sortation systems enable consumers to recycle both with and without curbside separation and communities to benefit from the recovery of recycled commodities while reducing dependence on landfills. AMP is an example of the real-world impacts of AI; solutions like AMP's will divert billions of tons of recyclable material from landfills while reducing emissions." Tim Stuart, chief executive officer for AMP, added, "AMP provides meaningfully lower-cost, higher-performance systems to recover commodities and increase landfill diversion, and we're uniquely positioned to reshape the waste and recycling landscape at a critical time. We're grateful to our longstanding and newest investors for their support in helping us chart a new path for sustainable materials management and resource efficiency." AMP recently augmented its leadership team with the appointment of Stuart, former chief operating officer for Republic Services Inc. (NYSE: RSG). Horowitz transitioned into the role of chief technology officer. About AMP™ AMP is applying AI-powered sortation at scale to modernize the world's recycling infrastructure and maximize the value in waste. AMP gives waste and recycling leaders the power to harness AI to reduce labor costs, increase resource recovery, and deliver more reliable operations. The company's AI platform has identified 150 billion items and guided the sortation of more than 2.5 million tons of recyclables. With three full-scale facilities and more than 400 AI systems deployed across North America, Asia, and Europe, AMP's technology offers a transformational solution to waste sortation and changes the fundamental economics of recycling. About Congruent Ventures Congruent Ventures is a leading early-stage venture firm focused on partnering with entrepreneurs to build companies addressing climate and sustainability challenges across four themes: Mobility and Urbanization, the Energy Transition, Food and Agriculture, and Sustainable Production and Consumption. The firm has more than $1 billion in AUM across early-stage climate tech funds, making it one of the largest climate portfolios in early-stage venture. With 59 companies in the portfolio, Congruent is amongst the most active investors in the climate and sustainability ecosystem. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205769962/en/

Amp Robotics raises $91M to build more robot-filled waste sorting facilities | TechCrunch

Recycling today kind of sucks. People are generally confused about what can be recycled and where. As a result, only about 32% of eligible waste actually gets recycled. It would be a lot easier if people could dump everything into one bin and let the waste management companies deal with it, but that's proven to be too expensive with humans in the loop. Enter robots. Myriad companies, from small startups like Glacier to large multinationals like Apple, have been working to automate recycling. Most of that work has centered on the robots themselves, placing them in existing facilities to help humans recover more waste. More recently, Amp Robotics, an early entrant, changed its business model to focus on running entire facilities. That shift has now netted the company $91 million in fresh funding. The decade-old company has deployed around 400 robots, and it operates three facilities with another in the works. Companies can specify how many sorting modules depending on how much trash they need to sort or which material they're looking for. Inside, cameras watch the flow of trash, using AI to identify what can be recycled, and robotic arms pluck bits from the conveyor belt. Amp handles operations, maintenance, and upgrades, with the contracting company handling waste sourcing, offtake of any valuable materials, and disposal of anything that can't be recycled. It's basically another "as a service" business model, with the company charging per ton of waste sorted. The new funding round, a Series D, was led by Congruent Ventures with participation from Blue Earth Capital, California State Teachers Retirement System, Liberty Mutual Investments, Wellington Management, Range Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Tao Capital Partners, and XN. The round is a little smaller than Amp's Series C, which after additions ended up raising $104 million, per SEC filings, highlighting the challenging fundraising environment that many mid- to late-stage startups face.