Lithuanian startup Kind A Brick, a service for sorting clients’ outdated LEGO® bricks into new units, has secured an funding of €1.15 million. The monetary help comes from the Baltic-focused VC fund Firstpick, 9 enterprise angels, and the founders’ preliminary funding of €200k.
Kind A Brick presents a service that cleans, types, 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 lift a brand new spherical of €2,500,000 with worldwide VC funds. Their aim is to develop throughout Europe, beginning with a restricted launch in Germany this October.
“Hundreds of thousands of LEGO bricks sit unused in containers as a result of neither youngsters nor mother and father wish 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 counsel new fashions to construct. This presents 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 gadgets as wasteful. “I like LEGO toys for my youngsters, however they’d typically 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 this planet.” Most LEGO components are product of 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 development and rising enterprise mannequin, projected to make up 15% of the bodily shopper items market by 2030 with a income of €265 billion. Round corporations embody rental methods for gadgets like sport tools and luxurious items, which cut back pointless purchases. In addition they embody digital platforms similar to Vinted, a platform for reselling garments and Lithuania’s first unicorn, and Tingit, a zero-effort market that allows customers to restore clothes, conserving gadgets in use longer. These recirculation ideas decrease environmental affect and promote sustainable shopper habits.
On his choice to spend money on Kind A Brick, Mantas Mikuckas, Co-Founding father of Vinted, added: “Round companies have large potential as a result of they tackle 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 very distinctive method, as the one firm that truly types LEGO bricks for you.”
Malkin’s thought for the brick sorting service facilities on simplifying life for fogeys. “Constructing with LEGO fashions is enjoyable; sorting them, not a lot,” mentioned Malkin. “We care for the organizing, so mother and father can give attention to 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 may 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 completely different bricks and establish potential mixtures. 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 latest funding to construct up its operations, investing in prototype equipment, superior pc imaginative and prescient, software program development, and market checks. “We’re at present making ready to lift further funding to improve our expertise to computerized operations, enhance capability, and enhance product expertise for our clients. This can permit us to make the service totally accessible not solely in Germany, our first goal market, but in addition to develop additional,” Malkin added.
