Polysecure

What Polysecure does

Polysecure GmbH is a Freiburg, Germany-based deep-tech company founded in 2009 that develops tracer-based solutions for product traceability, authenticity, and high-purity material sorting, primarily serving industrial manufacturers and recycling/waste-management operators. Its portfolio centers on four core technologies: TrackByStars® (particle-fingerprint marking via random fluorescent-particle distribution yielding several trillion unique, non-copyable IDs), BRANDPROOF® (pocket-sized mobile authentication detector for counterfeit and warranty-fraud protection), POLTAG® (sequence-defined oligomer markers for material-batch tracking and digital material passports), and Sort4Circle® (single-step, multi-sensor sorting combining NIR, MIR, LIBS, fluorescence, and AI-based imaging to achieve >99% purity across 50+ fractions at 5 objects/second). Chemolyse, a catalytic chemolysis process for polyamide recycling claiming up to 80% energy savings, is positioned as a future 'Moonshot' technology. The platform is FDA-approved and EU-compliant for food-contact applications, and partners include Carl Zeiss AG (optical detector co-development since 2021), Röchling Industrial (exclusive marker integration into plastic products since 2022), BASF, Fraunhofer ISC, and FAU across funded projects including AIDA and IDcycLIB.

The business model combines hardware sales (proprietary markers, BRANDPROOF detectors, Sort4Circle systems) with patent licensing, exclusive cooperation agreements, and channel partnerships through industrial-coatings distributors such as Lackfabrik Bäder. Pricing is quote-based on multi-year enterprise contracts, varying with marker concentration (ppm to 200 ppm), detection hardware configuration, and sorting-system specifications. Customer segments span Industrial Manufacturers (anti-counterfeiting, brand protection), Recycling and Waste Management (high-purity sorting), Battery and EV (material traceability through IDcycLIB), and Packaging (recyclability verification through AIDA). Distribution is direct-sales-led with strategic OEM/embedded partnerships and reseller channels, primarily across the DACH region with European reach.

Name

Polysecure

Legal name

Polysecure GmbH

Website

https://polysecure.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Polysecure GmbH develops tracer-based product traceability, authentication, and high-purity multi-sensor sorting technologies (TrackByStars, BRANDPROOF, POLTAG, Sort4Circle, Chemolyse) for industrial manufacturers, recyclers, and packaging companies across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Material Traceability and Sorting Technology

NAICS

Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513), Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing (325211)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Anti-Counterfeit & Authentication Packaging (Holograms, QR/NFC, Track-and-Trace) (IMALANAJ), Anti-Counterfeit & Track-and-Trace Packaging (Serialization, Security Features) (IMALAIAJ)

Keywords

• Product authentication technology
• Material traceability markers
• Anti-counterfeiting solutions
• Plastic sorting systems
• Circular economy recycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg Im Breisgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Marker Technology Products: Sale of proprietary markers (fluorescent particles and POLTAG oligomers) that are integrated into products and materials for authentication and traceability purposes. Markers are sold with concentration requirements of few ppm for light materials and up to 200 ppm for dark materials.
2. Detection Hardware: Sale of detection hardware including BRANDPROOF pocket detectors and specialized readers for TrackByStars and POLTAG systems. Hardware is configured and calibrated before delivery.
3. Sort4Circle® Sorting Systems: Sale and potentially licensing of Sort4Circle sorting technology which enables high-purity material sorting for circular economy applications. The technology is offered with various detection configurations including NIR, MIR, and optional marker-based sorting.
4. Licensing and Technology Transfer: Patent licensing for marker technologies and sorting solutions. Exclusive cooperation agreements with partners like Röchling Industrial for use of innovative marker technology in plastic products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Polysecure GmbH develops and sells tracer-based solutions for product traceability, authenticity verification, and high-purity material sorting. Its core portfolio includes proprietary fluorescent particle markers (TrackByStars®), mobile authentication detectors (BRANDPROOF®), sequence-defined oligomer markers for material batch tracking (POLTAG®), and multi-sensor sorting systems (Sort4Circle®) that combine NIR, MIR, LIBS, fluorescence, and AI imaging to separate mixed materials into >99% pure fractions in a single pass. The company also has a future chemical recycling technology (Chemolyse) for polyamides under development.

Product overview

Polysecure is a technology company offering a unified portfolio of tracking and sorting solutions for the circular economy. The core product suite includes TrackByStars® (particle fingerprinting for product identification), BRANDPROOF® (mobile authentication detector), POLTAG® (material batch tracking via oligomers), and Sort4Circle® (multi-sensor sorting technology). These products work together to enable reliable authentication, brand protection, end-to-end traceability, and high-purity material sorting. Additionally, the company is developing Chemolyse as a future chemical recycling technology for polyamides. The technologies are positioned for applications in packaging, technical polymers, textiles, and other materials requiring circular economy solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TrackByStars®

Quantifiable outcome

• >99% purity in sorted material fractions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Röchling Industrial (Röchling SE & Co. KG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Exclusive cooperation since beginning of 2022 for use of innovative marker technology in plastic products. Röchling produces plastic components using TrackByStars for unique product identification.
• Carl Zeiss AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Strategic cooperation since 2021 for the development of a new optical detector combining multiple measurements for precise waste object identification. This is a milestone for the Circular Economy.
• Lackfabrik Bäder GmbH & Co. KGmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorldwide supply of Polysecure as screw locking lacquer to more than 20,000 industrial companies. Polysecure technology integrated into industrial coatings for anti-theft protection.
• Suding & Soeken GmbH & Co. KGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecial coating with Polysecure security features for scaffolding component protection against theft.
• SKZ (Kunststoff-Zentrum)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the AIDA funding project for integrating bio-based packaging into recycling chains. SKZ developed solutions for packaging that is difficult to sort.
• SüdpackmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the AIDA funding project developing solutions for difficult-to-sort packaging materials.
• Fraunhofer ISCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the IDcycLIB project for innovative lithium-ion battery recycling. Fraunhofer ISC press release confirmed materials were efficiently separated and reused using Polysecure technologies.
• FAU (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the IDcycLIB project for lithium-ion battery recycling alongside Fraunhofer ISC and BASF.
• BASFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in the IDcycLIB project for battery recycling optimization using TrackByStars and BRANDPROOF technologies.
• BDE (Bundesverband der Deutschen Entsorgungs-, Wasser- und Rohstoffwirtschaft)minorOthersMember of the German Association for Waste Management, Water and Raw Materials Economy.
• CPA (Circular Plastic Alliance)minorOthersMember of the EU Circular Plastic Alliance working to increase recycled plastics in products.
• DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung)minorOthersMember of German Institute for Standardization contributing to standards development.
• PREVENT Waste AllianceminorOthersMember of alliance working to prevent waste and promote circular economy.
• VinylPlus Deutschland e.V.minorOthersMember of PVC industry sustainability initiative.
• wvib Schwarzwald AGminorOthersMember of the Economic Association of Industrial Companies Baden.
• Forum RezyklatminorOthersMember of forum focused on recycling and recyclate topics.
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Woidasky (Advisory Board Chairman)coreOthersChairman of top-class advisory board advising Polysecure on strategic orientation and market development. Advisory board includes members from science, business, industry, and politics.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AlpVision: Provides invisible marker-based anti-counterfeiting and authentication for products and packaging. Directly comparable to TrackByStars® and BRANDPROOF® for forgery-proof product authentication.
• Systech (Dover): Offers serialization, track-and-trace, and authentication solutions for pharmaceuticals and consumer goods. Comparable to POLTAG® and TrackByStars® for item-level traceability and authentication.
• Circulor: Supply chain traceability platform for raw materials, batteries, and plastics, including digital material passports. Directly comparable to POLTAG® and TrackByStars® for material-level traceability and recycled-content proof.
• Zenrobotics: Supplies AI-driven robotic sorting systems for waste and recycling. Comparable to Polysecure's AI-based imaging and multi-sensor detection chamber in Sort4Circle®.
• Authentix: Specializes in authentication and brand protection solutions including covert markers and field detection. Overlaps with Polysecure's BRANDPROOF® and TrackByStars® authentication offering.
• TOMRA: Global leader in sensor-based sorting and recycling solutions for waste streams including plastics. Directly comparable to Polysecure's Sort4Circle® in multi-sensor optical sorting for circular economy applications.
• Steinert: Developer of sensor-based sorting systems (NIR, XRT, induction) for recycling and raw material recovery. Comparable to Sort4Circle® in serving MRFs and recyclers requiring high-purity plastic fraction separation.
• Pellenc ST: French provider of optical sorting equipment for solid waste, including plastics and packaging. Directly comparable to Sort4Circle® in serving municipal and industrial recyclers with multi-sensor sortation lines.
• Sesotec: Provides metal detectors, X-ray inspection, and optical sorting for plastics and recycling industries. Overlaps with Polysecure's sorting and material identification offerings for plastics processors.

Broad incumbents

• SICPA: Global provider of security inks, authentication solutions, and traceability platforms for governments and brands. Adjacent competitor to Polysecure's authentication and track-and-trace portfolio at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/POLYSECURE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PolysecureGmbH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/polysecure-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Polysecure