GuangDong DataBeyond Technology, a China-based high-tech company specialised in AI and optoelectronic integration-based intelligent sorting equipment, has raised nearly $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Sequoia China.
This funding will allow DataBeyond Technology to further develop its overseas presence, expanding into international markets and accelerating the company's globalisation strategy. The company also plans to advance the large-scale production of standardised products, further reducing costs and leveraging the potential of cutting-edge intelligent sorting technology - in line with its
mission to make high-quality intelligent sorting equipment affordable for recycling businesses worldwide. Ultimately, the aim is to further standardise the solutions within the industry and to foster the transition from labour-intensive practices to Industry 4.0.
Founded in 2018, DataBeyond Technology has focussed on providing affordable yet sophisticated AI-based sorting equipment to the global recycling industry. Since its 2022 Series A funding from Fortune Capital, Pre-A funding from Matrix Partners China and angel investment from China Growth Capital, the company has grown into one of the leading players in China's intelligent waste sorting equipment industry.
Databeyond has introduced a range of high-performance optical sorters that utilise a combination of MSWDataBase and deep neural network technology, along with various types of optical sorting technology such as NIR, IR, hyperspectral, fluorescent, and X-ray. Enabling the precise sorting of waste materials, these products are used in a wide range of waste sorting applications, from municipal solid waste and automotive shredder residue to construction and demolition waste. Its products have increased the level of automation in recycling businesses, sharply reducing the number of frontline sorting workers working in harsh and hazardous environments.
Next to a significant market share at home, the company’s products are exported to various overseas regions, including Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Europe, and the United States. DataBeyond Technology has also seen the successful execution of numerous projects, both domestic and abroad. For example, it has completed a number of Dark Factory Projects in CHina, as well as a mixed plastic bottle sorting project with a capacity of 50,000 tons per year in Malaysia; an rPET bottle sorting project handling 30,000 tons per year in Brazil; and it recently signed a global record-breaking order for optical sorting machines - 100 units in total - with Hainan Dacheng Environmental Technology Co., Ltd.
In 2023, DataBeyond Technology introduced its new 6th generation AI optical sorter, with a PET feed rate of over 10 tons /hour and an accuracy rate of up to 99.6%. The high-speed conveyor belt operates at a speed of up to 4.2m/s and features an added belt anti-deviation function. The company has also introduced a more powerful AI hyperspectral optical sorter, capable of detecting over 260 spectral bands of objects, accurate identification of more than 260 material types, including PC, PVC, PP, PE, PO, PETG, composite materials, and more, to guarantee product purity.
With its intelligent technology, DataBeyond has targeted the traditional recycling industry, which is still characterised by heavy manual labour, low quality, and inefficiency, creating a transformative product matrix that empowers the industry chain profoundly.
According to DataBeyond Technology's founder and CEO, Monica Mo, in the future, DataBeyond will have a global perspective to interpret the development trends of the global circular economy industry in a more macroscopic and international way. Ultimately, the power of technology will lead the industry in the direction of ‘automation, intelligence, digitisation, and standardisation’.