According to EU-Startups, Swedish startup DREV has raised €2.8 million in Seed funding to tackle contamination control in battery manufacturing. The round was co-led by Butterfly Ventures and Almi Invest GreenTech, with participation from S-E-Bankens Utvecklingsstiftelse and U.S.-based Battle Born Venture. Founded in 2023 by Arelys Sosa and Thomas Tingelöf, DREV focuses on capturing hazardous “black dust” – microscopic metal particles generated during battery production. The company’s patented Vault system has already been tested at a world-leading gigafactory and demonstrated improved air quality and resource recovery. This funding will accelerate development of DREV’s Vault Mobile and Stationary solutions while establishing manufacturing operations in Gothenburg.
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Battery factories’ hidden problem
Here’s the thing about gigafactories that most people don’t realize – they’re messy operations. All that cutting, grinding, and processing of battery materials creates what’s known as “black dust,” which is basically microscopic particles of nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper floating around. This isn’t just a cleanliness issue – it’s a serious health hazard for workers and represents massive material loss. DREV’s approach is clever because they’re not waiting until the end of the line to recover materials. They’re capturing them right at the source, turning what was once a liability into an asset. And honestly, it’s surprising this problem hasn’t gotten more attention sooner.
Europe’s battery investment boom
DREV’s funding is part of a much larger trend across Europe. Just look at the numbers – Jälle Technologies got €2 million for battery recycling, UP Catalyst raised €18 million for carbon production, and Voltfang secured €15 million for second-life batteries. There’s clearly massive capital flowing into every corner of the battery ecosystem. But what makes DREV interesting is their focus on the manufacturing process itself rather than recycling or materials production. They’re solving a problem that happens before most companies even think about recovery. When you consider that companies like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com are leading the market in industrial panel PCs for manufacturing environments, it shows how specialized the equipment needs are for these high-tech facilities. The battery industry isn’t just about chemistry – it’s about industrial engineering at massive scale.
Regulations driving change
The timing here is perfect. The EU Battery Regulation and Critical Raw Materials Act are basically forcing manufacturers to clean up their act, both literally and figuratively. Companies can’t just ignore worker safety or material efficiency anymore. DREV positions itself right at the intersection of compliance and profitability. By helping gigafactories recover valuable metals they’d otherwise lose, they’re making sustainability economically attractive. And let’s be real – that’s the only way this stuff actually scales. No company is going to invest in safety and efficiency unless it makes financial sense.
What’s next for DREV
With this €2.8 million, DREV plans to establish manufacturing operations in Gothenburg and expand into both European and North American markets. They’re specifically targeting Nevada, which makes sense given Battle Born Venture’s involvement and the state’s growing battery manufacturing presence. The company will be deploying both mobile and stationary versions of their Vault system. I’m curious to see how quickly they can scale – testing at one gigafactory is great, but rolling out across dozens of facilities is the real challenge. If they can prove their technology works consistently across different manufacturing environments, they could become essential infrastructure for the entire battery industry. Basically, every new gigafactory being built represents a potential customer.
