WeSort.AI

What WeSort.AI does

WeSort.AI GmbH is a German deep-tech company founded in 2021 in Würzburg by brothers Nathanael and Johannes Laier. It develops AI-powered sorting systems for the recycling and waste-management industry, combining X-ray transmission sensing, camera-based computer vision, and deep learning inference to detect and physically eject hazardous and recoverable objects — primarily lithium-ion batteries — from mixed waste streams. Its product portfolio comprises X.Sort / Battery.Sort (X-ray based hazardous-object detection to ~50cm depth), Vision.Sort (camera-based object recognition with pneumatic ejection), and Vision.Insights (real-time process monitoring and analytics module), with a Danger.Sort research demonstrator co-developed with Fraunhofer IIS.

The company targets recycling facility operators, e-waste recyclers, and specialized waste processors — segments facing elevated fire risk from improperly discarded batteries and inability to precisely sort heterogeneous waste streams. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales to operators such as KORN Recycling, PreZero Sorting Austria, Lobbe Recycling, Electrocycling, and Recycling Park Hartz with industrial channel partnerships: Sesotec GmbH for global distribution (announced April 2026) and Europress for dealer/installation coverage across multiple European countries. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of AI sorting systems, with ongoing AI model improvements included as part of deployment; additional training and installation services flow through T&B electronic and Europress channels.

WeSort.AI operates from a headquarters and 350 m² technikum in Würzburg with 11-50 employees, and is supported by the Microsoft for Startups ecosystem. It is a privately held GmbH that raised €10 million in seed funding in March 2026 from impact and deep-tech investors Infinity Recycling, Green Generation Fund, Vent.io, and SPRIND, with the stated intent of scaling European deployment and productizing the broader Vision.Sort platform.

Name

WeSort.AI

Legal name

WeSort.AI GmbH

Website

https://wesort.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WeSort.AI GmbH develops AI-powered sorting systems combining X-ray transmission and computer vision for recycling facilities, detecting lithium-ion batteries and hazardous objects in mixed waste streams to prevent fires and recover critical raw materials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Recycling Technology

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)

SIC

X-Ray Apparatus & Tubes & Related Irradiation Apparatus (3844)

akta.pro primary industry

Advanced/Optical Sorting & Quality Control Services (NIR, AI, Robotics) (BPALADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bulking, Sorting & Pre-Processing Facilities (Screening, Shredding, Size Reduction) (EUAIABAJ), Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ)

Keywords

• AI waste sorting
• Recycling automation
• Battery detection systems
• X-ray sorting technology
• Circular economy solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Würzburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. AI Sorting Equipment Sales: Sale of AI-powered sorting systems (X.Sort, Vision.Sort) to recycling facilities. Systems include hardware (X-ray sensors, cameras, pneumatic ejection systems) combined with AI software. Equipment is installed in recycling plants for continuous operation.
2. Software/AI Licensing: AI algorithms and detection systems are trained on customer-specific waste streams. The technology platform includes ongoing AI model improvements and updates as part of the system deployment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WeSort.AI develops and sells AI-powered sorting systems for the recycling industry, combining deep-learning software with X-ray transmission sensors, optical cameras, and pneumatic ejection hardware. Its products detect and automatically remove hazardous foreign objects such as lithium-ion batteries, gas cartridges, and electronic devices from waste streams, while providing real-time process monitoring and analytics for recycling facility operators. Customers include materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and e-waste recyclers in the DACH region and Europe.

Product overview

WeSort.AI is a Deep Tech company that develops and sells AI-powered waste sorting and analysis systems for the recycling industry. Its product portfolio consists of three integrated solutions built on a common AI platform: X.Sort (X-ray transmission-based sorting for hazardous foreign objects) and Battery.Sort (the battery-specific application of X.Sort technology) serve as the primary fire-prevention and hazardous-material removal products; Vision.Sort provides automated camera-based sorting of specific waste objects; and Vision.Insights serves as the AI-powered analytics and process monitoring module that powers both sorting systems and provides real-time dashboards, alarm signals, and data-driven optimization for plant operators. The company also developed Danger.Sort as a research demonstrator in partnership with Fraunhofer IIS. All products leverage WeSort.AI's deep learning algorithms trained on X-ray and camera imagery to recognize objects at granular levels, with continuous AI model improvement over time.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• X.Sort: AI-based X-ray technology that detects lithium-ion batteries early in the recycling process to prevent fires
• Vision.Sort
• Vision.Insights
• Battery.Sort

Products and services

• X.Sort (Battery.Sort)
• Vision.Sort
• Vision.Insights

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% reduction in battery-caused fires (from 17 to 1 fire in comparable period)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• Sesotec GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 April 2026Strategic distribution partnership to make X.Sort technology available globally. Sesotec leverages its international sales and service network while both companies remain legally independent. Combined engineering expertise and AI algorithms advance fire protection and data-driven optimization in recycling facilities.
• Fraunhofer IIScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Danger.Sort demonstrator combining Fraunhofer's hardware expertise with WeSort.AI's AI object recognition technology for battery fire prevention in recycling facilities.
• T&B electronic GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining partnership where T&B electronic hosts WeSort.AI's Battery.Sort presentation for Funk insurance risk engineers, bridging insurance and recycling industries for fire risk minimization.
• EuropresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEquipment dealer and installer for WeSort.AI systems, hosting dealer days and visiting WeSort.AI's technikum. Europress dealers from multiple European countries participate in technology training.
• Microsoft for StartupssupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership providing cloud infrastructure and startup support services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• TOMRA Sorting Solutions: Global leader in sensor-based sorting (optical, NIR, X-ray) for waste, recycling and mining. Provides the broadest incumbent competitive frame: serves the same MRF/e-waste customers with established hardware platforms and is actively adding AI capabilities.
• Steinert Elektromagnetbau: German manufacturer of magnetic, sensor and X-ray sorting equipment for recycling and mining. Comparable as a broad incumbent selling X-ray and NIR-based detection systems into the same European recycling-customer set that WeSort.AI targets.
• Pellenc ST: French supplier of optical, NIR and AI-assisted sorting machines for solid waste, plastics and e-waste. Comparable broad incumbent with overlapping AI-driven object-detection capabilities for MRFs and WEEE facilities across Europe.
• Machinex: Canadian designer/manufacturer of recycling sorting systems including AI-based optical sorters. Comparable broad incumbent providing turnkey MRF and e-waste sorting lines that increasingly incorporate AI vision similar to WeSort.AI's capabilities.
• Sesotec GmbH: German incumbent in metal detection and X-ray-based sorting systems for the recycling industry. Directly relevant as both a WeSort.AI distribution partner and a competitor — sells overlapping X-ray-based object-detection solutions into the same European recycling-customer base.
• BHS Recycling: German manufacturer of sorting and screening equipment for the recycling industry. Comparable broad incumbent supplying material-handling and sorting technology to the same European recycling facility operators that WeSort.AI serves.

Direct peers

• ZenRobotics: Finland-based pioneer of AI-driven robotic sorting for waste and recycling facilities. Directly comparable as an AI-vision and robotics peer serving MRFs and waste-sorting plants across Europe with similar object-recognition technology.
• AMP Robotics: US-based AI and robotics sorting company for the recycling industry. Comparable product-market fit: applies deep-learning computer vision to conveyor-based material identification and automated picking in MRFs and e-waste facilities.

Emerging players

• Recycleye: UK-based AI-waste-sorting company combining computer vision with robotic picking for MRFs. Comparable emerging player with overlapping AI-vision technology and European recycling-facility customer focus.
• Sadako Technologies: Spanish AI waste-sorting startup applying deep-learning vision to recover materials from MRFs. Comparable as a smaller, AI-focused emerging competitor targeting European recycling operators with similar vision-based object detection.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wesort-ai
• Instagraminstagram.com/wesort.ai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WeSort.AI