- Smarter Sorting announced it raised $17 million in Series A funding led by US Ecology with participation from RTP Ventures
Smarter Sorting — an Austin, Texas-based startup that creates granular and chemical-level data about consumer products — recently announced it raised $17 million in Series A funding. This round was led by US Ecology, a leading regulated waste treatment, and disposal company. And RTP Ventures and a group of independent industry experts also joined the round.
Smarter Sorting and US Ecology have a shared vision to use data and innovation to cut retail regulated waste by 50% and they are also integrating their operations to bring first of its kind transparency to consumer products’ end of life management.
This round of funding will enable Smarter Sorting to solidify its position as the leading retail waste management and compliance platform, but also push into a growth market by becoming the top solution for consumer product regulatory classification. And with their existing foundational technologies, Smarter Sorting is uniquely positioned to transform the consumer product data market thus providing customers with significant competitive advantages.
Smarter Sorting is the first tech company to manage and canonicalize granular product attributes including a product’s full chemical components, physical state depending upon environment, and effect on animals and the environment. And through machine learning that “codes” chemistry and regulations, this data is the foundation of Smarter Sorting’s Universal Product Database.
When taken together, the data and the database permit regulatory classifications, product data management, and supply chain communication to be consolidated into a single platform. And API-based integrations then enable manufacturers, transportation companies, and retailers to better create, ship, sell, and dispose of every consumer product on the market today.
“By understanding items down to their chemical level and building software designed to optimize and simplify the use of advanced data, we enable retailers and other stakeholders to sustainably and accountably handle products. By doing so, we are creating a brand new era of responsible commerce. As a tech company whose mission is to cut waste and extend products’ life, we couldn’t be more excited to continue pursuing our purpose in coming years,” said Smarter Sorting CEO Chris Ripley.
