New Circular Factory Podcast shares honest stories about building a circular factory

For many circular, green chemistry and biotech startups, the step from lab to factory is one of the biggest challenges. Although the Netherlands aims to be fully circular by 2050, most attention and funding still go to digital innovations – while we urgently need capital-intensive, industrial companies to achieve our resource and climate goals.

By founders, for founders

The Circular Factory Podcast is made by founders, for founders. The series focuses on the experiences of biobased and circular hardware startups scaling their technologies toward First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) factories. Across six episodes, pioneering circular startups and specialists share their expertise, hands-on experience, and insights into the complex journey from lab to production – including the inevitable missteps along the way.

Shining a light on capital-intensive startups

The podcast is hosted by Sabine Biesheuvel (BlueCity) and Lindy Hensen (Tekkoo, PeelPioneers) – both experienced entrepreneurs who know the circular transition from the inside out. In the first season, they talk with founders and experts about feedstock, funding, customers, team building, impact, and designing a FOAK. Expect no polished success stories, but real conversations about what works, what doesn’t, and how to move forward.

 

“The stories in this podcast show how challenging ánd inspiring it is to build a First-of-a-Kind factory,” says Lindy Hensen. “They reveal what these pioneers truly need in order to scale.”

Scaling a factory is capital-intensive, technically complex and requires a different skill set than the pilot phase of a company. Circular factories bring additional challenges: from developing new technologies and financial models to securing a reliable supply of safe, consistent circular feedstocks.

The first episode, “From interest to contract: landing customers”, will be released on 26 November 2025, followed by weekly episodes through January 2026. Around FOAK Day (10 December), the series will receive extra attention within the Circular Factory community and partner channels.

More attention for industrial scale-ups

The podcast is part of Circular Factory, an initiative by BlueCity and Tekkoo. In 2022, they launched – together with partners such as Renewi and Invest-NL – the first Dutch program dedicated entirely to capital-intensive startups in chemistry and biotechnology developing their first factory. Since then, the community has grown to over fifty founders, and Circular Factory has evolved into a national platform for entrepreneurs in the circular manufacturing industry. After three successful editions, the team now brings together key insights in podcast form.

“Circularity is an industrial design challenge – it requires more than innovation in process technology or switching to biobased feedstocks,” says Sabine Biesheuvel. “These entrepreneurs are building the factories we urgently need for our climate goals, but they require fundamentally different tools and support. With this podcast, we make visible what already works, and where the startup ecosystem can do better.”

About Circular Factory

Circular Factory helps biobased and circular hardware startups make the leap from lab to factory. The national platform, an initiative by BlueCity and Tekkoo, focuses on three pillars: targeted support through deep dives (program), community activation, and collaboration with other accelerators. Its ambition: to help realize at least 20 new circular factories in the Netherlands by 2030.

Circular Factory is supported by the Municipality of Rotterdam, Stichting Ondernemersbelangen Rotterdam, Stichting DOEN, Rabo Foundation and Invest-NL. More information: www.circularfactory.co/podcast.