Big News: R3grind Accepted into the City of Austin's Circular Austin Accelerator!
We couldn't be more thrilled to announce that R3grind has been selected to join the Circular Austin Accelerator—a flagship program from the City of Austin designed to supercharge early-stage startups tackling zero waste, recycling, and the circular economy. As an Austin-based team building advanced hardware to recover high-value materials from single-use plastics in quick-serve restaurants and coffee shops, this feels like the perfect homecoming.
The Circular Austin Accelerator is a free, 14-week intensive run by Austin Resource Recovery and the Economic Development Department. It targets idea-stage and early entrepreneurs (like us—low revenue, minimal outside funding, and rooted right here in Austin city limits) with hands-on support: six expert-led workshops on everything from circular business canvases to financial literacy and pitch storytelling, one-on-one coaching sessions, networking events, and a culminating soft pitch where top ideas advance to the big Circular Austin Showcase in May for a shot at cash prizes.
Past cohorts have featured game-changers like Frontier Resource Recovery (turning ag waste into biochar to tackle PFAs and reuse biosolids as fertilizer—snagging the $2,000 prize), Holocia (slashing over 1 million pounds of plastic food packaging annually through local ag districts), and Concept 2 Consumption (building tech to make Austin the sustainable fashion hub). These startups aren't just dreaming—they're diverting waste, cleaning contaminants, and keeping materials in the loop, all while growing local jobs and impact.
This accelerator is a cornerstone of Austin's broader Circular Economy Program, which mimics nature by treating everything as a resource: encouraging reuse, repair, and recycling to minimize new extraction. The city provides tools like the Austin Reuse Directory, Fix-It clinics, zero-waste shopping guides, and business rebates—all pushing toward the "Road to Zero Waste." By backing startups like R3grind, they're fueling the infrastructure needed for a resilient, closed-loop system right here in Central Texas.
For us, joining this cohort means sharpening our vision: deploying R3grind CircularSync machines that turn those endless streams of PP cold cups and lids into clean, high-value flakes ready for partners like Plasticrete. We'll gain the coaching to scale pilots in coffee shops, QSRs, airports, and beyond—while connecting with a community of founders turning Austin's waste challenges into economic wins.
We're beyond excited to dive in starting January 2026, commit those Wednesday evenings, and come out stronger, ready to make on-site plastic recovery the new normal. Huge thanks to the City of Austin for championing circular innovation—this is exactly the boost we need to grind more cups, divert more waste, and build a cleaner future.
Stay tuned for updates from the program. If you're an Austin founder with a circular idea, keep an eye on next year's applications—they're transformative.
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