What Sortera Technologies, Inc. does

Sortera Technologies, Inc. is an Indiana-domiciled, venture-backed industrial recycling company that operates AI-powered sorting facilities to convert mixed non-ferrous scrap metal — primarily end-of-life automotive aluminum — into specific, customer-qualified aluminum alloys (380, 356, 319, and wrought 3105 plus others). The company's core technology combines X-ray fluorescence (XRF), optical sensors, and proprietary AI/ML image processing with custom scrap feeder design into an automated multi-sensor platform that resolves alloy chemistry within fractions of one percent in real time and reportedly exceeds 95% sorting accuracy. Sortera owns and operates the underlying IP in-house (over 25 issued and pending patents on the sorting system; founder Nalin Kumar holds an additional ~66 US patents on related materials and instrumentation), and runs a dedicated R&D site in Austin, Texas tasked with extending the platform beyond aluminum into other recyclable materials. The Markle, Indiana flagship facility scales up to 220 million lbs/year of sorting capacity (on a 200,000 sq. ft. footprint with optional expansion to 400,000 sq. ft.), and a second Lebanon, Tennessee facility opened in May 2026, roughly doubling combined capacity to ~380 million lbs/year and deploying 'Physical AI' across the same proprietary multi-sensor stack.

Sortera makes money by selling sorted, customer-specific aluminum alloy feedstock directly to enterprise manufacturers under multi-year contracts on a quote-based B2B pricing model — automotive is the primary vertical (headlined by a commercial partnership with Novelis for high-recycled-content automotive sheet), with secondary verticals in aerospace (extrusions) and construction. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales led by a dedicated commercialization function (Director of Commercialization David Burlison, VP of Commercialization Ben Pope). The company has raised more than $104M of venture and equipment financing across rounds led or co-led by Chrysalix RoboValley, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Assembly Ventures, RA Capital Management-Planetary Health, T. Rowe Price Associates, VXI Capital, and Yamaha Motor Ventures, alongside equipment financing from Trinity Capital. The stated value proposition is domestic, lower-cost recycled feedstock that displaces virgin aluminum production (which uses roughly 20x more energy) and reduces reliance on scrap exports — positioning Sortera within the circular-economy and US critical-materials onshoring themes that have driven three consecutive Global Cleantech 100 recognitions (2023-2025), a 2024 TIME Top GreenTech Companies listing, and a Fast Company 2026 sustainability innovation award.

Name

Sortera Technologies, Inc.

Legal name

Sortera Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://sorteratechnologies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sortera Technologies operates AI-powered multi-sensor sorting facilities that convert mixed non-ferrous scrap metal into customer-specific aluminum alloys for enterprise manufacturers, primarily serving the automotive supply chain via a commercial partnership with Novelis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycled Aluminum Manufacturing

NAICS

Secondary Smelting and Alloying of Aluminum (331314)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)

akta.pro primary industry

Aluminum Scrap Collection, Sorting & Processing (IMAKACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Advanced/Optical Sorting & Quality Control Services (NIR, AI, Robotics) (BPALADAH), Metals Recycling & Processing (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (BPALADAF), Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Recycling (Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Lead, Zinc) (EUAIAJAB), Scrap Metal Collection, Logistics & Aggregation (Yards, Roll-off, Container Programs) (IMAKAMAK)

Keywords

• Aluminum recycling
• Scrap metal sorting
• AI-powered sorting
• Recycled aluminum alloys
• Circular economy metals

Headquarters

HQ city

Markle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recycled Aluminum Alloy Feedstock Sales: Sale of sorted, high-quality recycled aluminum alloy feedstock (cast, sheet, extrusions) to manufacturers. Produces end-of-life recycled aluminum products including 380, 356, 319, and wrought alloys (3105 and others). Revenue generated from direct sales of processed materials to automotive, aerospace, construction, and manufacturing customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sortera Technologies operates AI-powered multi-sensor sorting facilities that process mixed non-ferrous scrap metal (primarily aluminum) into high-purity, customer-specific alloy grades such as 380, 356, 319, and wrought 3105. The company produces and sells these end-of-life recycled aluminum feedstocks to large manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace, and construction sectors, replacing overseas hand-sorting and virgin material production with domestic, automated upcycling.

Product overview

Sortera Technologies operates a single unified platform—the AI-Powered Aluminum Sorting Platform—which combines Physical AI technology with sensor fusion (XRF, Optical) and AI/ML image processing. The company offers material sorting services through this core platform to produce end-of-life recycled aluminum products including specific alloy grades (380, 356, 319, wrought 3105 and others), low-silicon wrought packages, and polished end-of-life aluminum die cast. Sortera operates two facilities (Markle, Indiana and Lebanon, Tennessee) as an owner-operator model, processing mixed aluminum scrap into high-value materials for automotive, construction, and aerospace industries. The company also has an Austin R&D facility focused on expanding sorting capabilities beyond metals into other materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AI-Powered Aluminum Sorting Platform Proprietary AI-enabled multi-sensor sorting system combining XRF and optical sensors with AI/ML image processing; processes mixed aluminum scrap into specific alloy compositions for automotive, construction, and aerospace manufacturers.
• End-of-Life Recycled Aluminum Alloys (380, 356, 319, Wrought 3105) Recycled aluminum products in standard alloy chemistries matching common casting and rolling specifications, produced from end-of-life scrap via Sortera's sorting platform; sold to automotive and industrial manufacturers.
• Low-Silicon Wrought Packages Recycled aluminum wrought packages with low-silicon composition produced from end-of-life scrap for direct use in manufacturing applications.
• Polished End-of-Life Aluminum Die Cast Polished recycled aluminum die cast product intended for direct use in 380-alloy applications by industrial customers.
• Material Sorting Services Sortera's low-cost material sorting services leveraging its AI-powered multi-sensor systems to separate and grade mixed metal packages.
• Physical AI Sorting Systems Deployment of Physical AI sorting systems integrating sensor fusion (XRF, optical) and AI/ML image processing for accurate, high-throughput sorting of metal type and alloy composition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% sorting accuracy for mixed aluminum scrap
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NoveliscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2025Commercial partnership for Sortera to deliver high-quality recycled alloy derived from automotive scrap. Novelis remanufactures material into high recycled content aluminum sheet for automotive industry. Enables Novelis to increase recycled content in products and meet carbon footprint reduction goals.
• OmniSourcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2020Partnered during ARPA-E R&D program. One of North America's largest processors and distributors of automotive scrap and secondary metals. Planned to deploy fully integrated 100M lbs/year demonstration system at Fort Wayne facility.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Novelis: Novelis is a global aluminum rolling and recycling giant and Sortera's anchor commercial partner and Series B investor. It operates closed-loop recycling at scale for automotive and beverage can sheet, making it both customer and broader industry incumbent in recycled aluminum.
• TOMRA: TOMRA is a global sensor-based sorting equipment leader for recycling, food, and mining. Its optical and AI sorting systems overlap with Sortera's core technology platform, making it both a potential supplier competitor and broader sorting incumbent.
• Steinert: Steinert is a leading manufacturer of sensor-based and magnetic sorting equipment for the scrap metal and recycling industries. Its eddy current, XRF, and optical sorters overlap with the industrial sorting capabilities Sortera deploys in its facilities.
• Gränges: Gränges is a global rolled aluminum products company serving automotive, HVAC, and specialty packaging markets with substantial recycled content capabilities. It is comparable as a downstream buyer/producer competing in the same recycled aluminum value chain.
• Aurubis: Aurubis is a European leader in non-ferrous metals recycling and processing, including copper and aluminum recovery from complex scrap streams. It is comparable as a large-scale, multi-metal non-ferrous recycler pursuing similar circular economy themes.
• Hydro (Norsk Hydro / CIRCAL): Norsk Hydro is a global aluminum major with CIRCAL, a low-carbon recycled aluminum product line targeting automotive and construction customers. It competes for the same recycled-content OEM contracts Sortera targets and operates much larger downstream capacity.
• Constellium: Constellium is a major global aluminum products manufacturer serving aerospace, automotive, and packaging end markets with both primary and recycled aluminum inputs. It represents the incumbent rolled-products customer/prospect profile Sortera sells into.

Emerging players

• Nth Cycle: Nth Cycle is an early-stage critical minerals recycler using electrochemistry to recover high-purity metals from end-of-life batteries and e-scrap. It overlaps with Sortera as a tech-enabled recycling startup focused on feedstock purity for downstream manufacturers.

Direct peers

• Real Alloy: Real Alloy is a leading secondary aluminum smelter and processor producing specification alloys (including 380, 356, 319 series) for automotive and industrial customers from recycled scrap. It is the most directly comparable secondary aluminum producer to Sortera's recycled alloy feedstock business.

Others

• Sesotec: Sesotec is an established supplier of metal detection, X-ray, and sensor-based sorting equipment for recycling and food processing. It is a relevant enabling/equipment peer whose sorting technology competes with elements of Sortera's stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sorteratech
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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sorteratech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Sortera Technologies, Inc.