Lithuanian startup Kind A Brick, a service for sorting clients’ previous LEGO® bricks into new units, has secured an funding of €1.15 million. The monetary assist comes from the Baltic-focused VC fund Firstpick, 9 enterprise angels, and the founders’ preliminary funding of €200k.
Kind A Brick gives a service that cleans, kinds, and repackages clients’ LEGO bricks into unique or customized units, giving a second life to already-owned toys. By spring 2025, the startup seeks to boost a brand new spherical of €2,500,000 with worldwide VC funds. Their aim is to broaden throughout Europe, beginning with a restricted launch in Germany this October.
“Thousands and thousands of LEGO bricks sit unused in bins as a result of neither youngsters nor mother and father need to sift by them,” mentioned Aurimas Slapšys, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Kind A Brick. “We assist by cleansing and sorting clients’ brick collections, then utilizing our proprietary software program to recommend new fashions to construct. This gives youngsters a brand-new constructing expertise for a smaller worth than shopping for new units from the shop.”
The concept for Kind A Brick was conceived by Co-Founder Ilya Malkin, who noticed his circle of relatives’s use of LEGO objects as wasteful. “I really like LEGO toys for my youngsters, however they’d usually construct every mannequin as soon as after which ask me to purchase a brand new set,” commented Malkin. “This isn’t simply costly – it additionally contributes to the build-up of unsustainable plastic on the planet.” Most LEGO elements are made from difficult-to-recycle ABS plastic. Whereas the producer doesn’t disclose official numbers, Malkin estimates that LEGO has produced 1.5 trillion of those bricks since its first collection in 1958.
Encouraging the reuse of products and lengthening product life is an rising pattern and rising enterprise mannequin, projected to make up 15% of the bodily client items market by 2030 with a income of €265 billion. Round firms embrace rental programs for objects like sport gear and luxurious items, which cut back pointless purchases. Additionally they embody digital platforms equivalent to Vinted, a platform for reselling garments and Lithuania’s first unicorn, and Tingit, a zero-effort market that allows customers to restore clothes, protecting objects in use longer. These recirculation ideas decrease environmental affect and promote sustainable client habits.
On his determination to spend money on Kind A Brick, Mantas Mikuckas, Co-Founding father of Vinted, added: “Round companies have big potential as a result of they handle actual issues whereas additionally chopping CO2 emissions. Kind A Brick is a superb instance, letting youngsters get pleasure from their toys extra whereas saving mother and father cash and decreasing their environmental footprint. It has additionally developed a really distinctive method, as the one firm that really kinds LEGO bricks for you.”
Malkin’s concept for the brick sorting service facilities on simplifying life for folks. “Constructing with LEGO fashions is enjoyable; sorting them, not a lot,” mentioned Malkin. “We deal with the organizing, so mother and father can deal with having enjoyable and spending extra high quality time collectively.”
At its coronary heart, Kind A Brick is a tech startup. Its proprietary AI system analyzes bricks to find out what fashions might be constructed from the combination. The bricks are sorted accordingly, returning clients’ LEGO items repackaged by set and with on-line accessible directions.
“The core expertise is a pc imaginative and prescient algorithm that may acknowledge the totally different bricks and determine attainable combos. The sorting course of will work like an automatic meeting line, the place machines clear, group, and type the bricks new,” Malkin defined.
The beginningup is utilizing the current funding to construct up its operations, investing in prototype equipment, superior laptop imaginative and prescient, software program development, and market assessments. “We’re at present getting ready to boost further funding to improve our expertise to automated operations, enhance capability, and enhance product expertise for our clients. This may permit us to make the service absolutely accessible not solely in Germany, our first goal market, but additionally to broaden additional,” Malkin added.
