Berlin-based textile upcycling startup Re-Fresh Global raises €1.1 million in pre-seed round

Offering a notably fresh take on upcycling, Berlin-based Re-Fresh Global has raised €1.1 million in a pre-seed round that will see the female co-founded company press forward with R&D activities. In addition to further refining the company’s process, which it calls a “smart-up urban microfactory”, the startup intends to ramp-up marketing and sales activities.

An alumna startup team from Earlybird's Vision Lab initiative, the firm participated in Re-Fresh's €1.1 million pre-seed round alongside Serpentine.vc and a menagerie of angel investors including German real estate investor Frank Dupuis, Nevis and Accenture partner Michael Ulbrich, Encourage Ventures founder Ina Schlie, Ute Zahn, coach and angel investor, and a program of SOSV, IndieBio.

Taking in discarded clothing/textiles and outputting new, high-value materials including those that can be used to produce items such as perfume (which I have on good authority has been known to trigger a "Where can I buy this heavenly scent, stat?!" reaction), not only is Re-Fresh taking a unique approach to an age-old problem, but they’re doing so at just the right time.

"The introduction of the IBA EU regulation from January 1, 2025 will mark a turning point in textile waste management. However, at Re-Fresh Global, we strongly believe that we should not wait until the future to take action,” explained Re-Fresh Global co-founder Victoria Kanar. “I am extremely pleased that we have so much support from particularly well-known investors in our project to transform textile waste into valuable resources. Together, we can tackle the challenges and bring about positive change in the industry.”