Grensol: The Venture Leader Cleantech extracting useful raw materials from mixed waste

06.10.2025 10:00, Rita Longobardi

Meet Rajiv Singhal, CEO of Grensol. The Cleantech startup transforms mixed waste from the recycling of end-of-life cars and domestic appliances into a source of valuable raw materials for a circular economy. In November, Rajiv and the other nine Swiss National Cleantech Team members will travel to Munich on a business development and investor roadshow.

Name: Rajiv Singhal
Location: Zurich
Nationality: Indian
Graduated from: Harvard Business School (USA), Indian Institute of Technology (India)
Job title: CEO
Number of employees: 8

  Grensol’s solution transforms the mixed waste produced from the recycling of used cars and domestic appliances into a source of useful raw materials, instead of this waste being incinerated or landfilled for disposal. As a result, we are able to increase the sustainable recovery of post-consumer critical materials and reduce reliance on virgin sources.

What market are you addressing and what is the potential of your startup in that market?
With our technology, we are addressing about 100 million tonnes per annum of recycling waste that is either incinerated or landfilled for disposal. This represents a sizable market of USD 85 billion for new materials and recycling. And of this, we are looking to focus on and win in markets with mature waste-related regulations and incentives representing about USD 10 billion.
  
How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
I came across this industrial waste during my time at Glencore when we were transforming smelting operations to also recycle metals like copper, zinc, lead and precious metals. At that time, we could not figure out how to process this tricky waste in our smelting operations but the fascination remained given the large size of the problem. Now, many ideas later, and with new collaborators, we have a workable solution which we are building.
 

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What do you expect from the Venture Leaders roadshow, and how do you think it will help you achieve your vision?
We are looking for like-minded partners to grow our company with – investors, customers, or industrial partners. This would be an ideal opportunity to showcase our low-cost circular economy solution for critical materials to the German automotive industry and other manufacturers, starting in BMW’s back yard, at a time when companies and governments alike are making huge investments to secure their critical materials supply chains.

What are your team’s key achievements to date?
Ours is not a university spin-off. Hence, we are proud to have developed our technology with our own industry experience, a shoe-string budget, scarce lab facilities, and mostly with peoples’ willingness to help us - felt like we had won the lottery. Only much later did we get CHF 3 million in grants and awards which has allowed us to recruit specialists and scale-up our technology in Swiss research labs.

Is there a key principle or value that guides you as you build your company?
Us three founders have all had successful careers internationally, and our larger aim is to combine our experiences and professional networks to solve a difficult real-world problem. There have been many naysayers and challenges in our path, but we need to have the resolve to creatively overcome these and stay course. And, have fun doing so.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
That making a complementary team with experience not only shares the work, but also prevents blind sides. Being challenged and coming to a consensus answer on most things might appear slow (and frustrating at times!), but has proven effective in our case with some awesome decisions. We also aspire for this cross-functional consensus-based approach to be the foundation for the company culture.

What is your favorite productivity hack or tool and why?
When stuck, lace up the running shoes and hit the trails. Disengaging with a problem and fresh air (along with Swiss scenery!) somehow brings new perspectives that help with resolution. If that does not work, try grabbing some cold beers and laughs with the team! We have to try this in Munich!

What was your dream job when you were a child?
Driving heavy duty earth moving equipment – think large dump trucks and track chain excavators. Unstoppable!