Paris-based deeptech startup Fairmat has secured a €51.5 million Series B round to expand its breakthrough carbon fibre recycling technology. The financing includes €26.5 million in equity and €25 million in venture debt from the European Investment Bank. Pushing the company’s total funding to nearly €95 million.
Carbon fibre composites are prized for being both lightweight and incredibly durable. Used in everything from airplanes and electric cars to laptops and high-performance sports gear. Yet their strength comes with a major drawback: these materials are notoriously hard to recycle. Traditional methods like pyrolysis (burning) and solvolysis (chemical breakdown) are energy-intensive and emit large amounts of CO2.
Fairmat is taking a radically different approach.
Instead of burning or dissolving waste, the company has built a process that cuts carbon fibre scrap into small chips and reassembles them into new high-performance composite sheets. Recovering up to 90% of the original material, while cutting carbon emissions by up to 10x compared to conventional methods.
The key to this innovation? AI-powered robotics.
Fairmat’s automated system can sort and assemble up to 50,000 chips per hour. Allowing it to produce large volumes of recycled composite sheets at scale. Earlier this year, the company unveiled its “infinity recycling” breakthrough. A process that allows even Fairmat’s own recycled materials to be broken down and reused again.
“We use cold plasma technology to unglue the chips from each other,” explains founder Benjamin Saada. “After that, the material can be immediately reused to manufacture something new. We’re getting to a point where these materials will almost never go to waste.”
Even more compelling for manufacturers: Fairmat’s recycled components cost less than virgin carbon fibre alternatives. Thanks to a more efficient production process. That cost advantage has already translated into strong market traction.
With two production plants already online in France and the US, Fairmat aims to produce 500 tonnes of recycled carbon fibre per year by 2025. The company has locked in €50 million in contracted revenue. With clients ranging from material suppliers like Hexcel to product brands including DPS Skis and Decathlon.
Now, Fairmat is doubling down on the US — where it sees fast-growing demand across industries like mobility, electronics, and renewable energy. “We believe the US will account for 50% of our order book by year-end,” says Saada.
The Series B equity round was led by climate-focused VC Slate and public bank Bpifrance, alongside investors like Temasek, Cape Capital, Pictet Group, Singular, and CNP Assurances.
As industries race to cut emissions and deal with rising material waste, Fairmat’s closed-loop, AI-powered recycling process could offer a scalable way to redefine how advanced materials are reused — and become a key player in the global shift toward sustainable manufacturing.
