A female-led startup is redefining sustainability within the life sciences sector. LabCycle — established by a team of scientists — has developed a circular economy system capable of recycling contaminated laboratory plastic at scale, tackling one of the industry’s most persistent environmental problems.

Research shows that clinical and research labs generate around 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year. Historically, the majority of this material has been either incinerated or buried due to the complexity of decontaminating high-grade plastics. As a result, plastic waste from bio and clinical labs is estimated to contribute 1.5% of the world’s total plastic waste, underscoring an often-overlooked sustainability challenge in healthcare and biotech.

With proprietary technology that converts used lab plastics into recycled pellets, LabCycle is introducing a genuine circular solution — reducing carbon emissions, cutting disposal costs, and creating new supply chains for recycled scientific-grade plastics.

The company recently secured investment from the Angel Academe EIS Fund, managed by SyndicateRoom. This marks the syndicate’s second investment through the fund and reinforces its commitment to backing women-led innovation with structural impact.

According to SyndicateRoom Partner Tom Britton, “Backing LabCycle is backing a company solving a multi-billion pound logistics and sustainability problem for the entire life sciences industry.”

For LabCycle, the funding signals both validation and momentum. Co-founder & CEO Helen Liang noted that the investors brought conviction and strategic support to the table, highlighting the urgency of LabCycle’s mission and the strength of the team delivering it.

The Angel Academe EIS Fund is now closed to new investors, but the deal illustrates the type of female-led, deep-tech sustainability companies emerging in the UK’s science and innovation ecosystem.