UK-based startup Matoha has raised £1.5 million in seed funding to accelerate its mission of transforming how the world identifies and recycles textiles. The funding round includes backing from deep-tech investors, circular economy accelerators, and impact-driven angel investors.

🔍 What Matoha Does

Matoha develops AI-powered material scanners that use near-infrared spectroscopy to instantly identify the fiber composition of textiles. These portable and desktop devices help sort clothes and fabrics within seconds—without the need for lab testing or expert operators.

The core idea is to make textile identification fast, accurate, and scalable—crucial for any industry aiming to reduce textile waste and improve recycling efficiency.

🎯 Purpose Behind the Seed Round

The newly secured capital will be used to:

  • Improve the AI models powering Matoha’s scanners

  • Build automated sorting systems integrated with robotics

  • Expand capabilities to sort end-of-life garments and blended fabrics

  • Scale up production of their UK-manufactured hardware

♻️ The Bigger Problem They’re Solving

Every year, Europe generates more than 15 kilograms of textile waste per person, yet only a tiny fraction—less than 1%—is truly recycled into new fibers. Most clothing ends up in landfills or incinerated due to the lack of efficient fiber sorting tools.

Matoha addresses this challenge by making fiber-level identification cheap, quick, and practical, thus enabling proper recycling at scale.

🛠️ What’s Next?

With this first phase of seed funding complete, Matoha plans to:

  • Launch the next generation of textile scanners

  • Pilot automated textile sorting systems in recycling facilities

  • Expand internationally into markets demanding sustainable waste management

  • Prepare for phase two of funding to scale further

🧵 Final Word

Matoha’s innovation is set to play a vital role in the future of sustainable fashion and recycling. By automating the textile sorting process using AI, the company is making a complex task both simple and scalable—paving the way for a truly circular textile economy.