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Selecting the right investors for your materials startup with Jakob Röskamp from Traceless Materials
How customer traction, off-takes, and capital stack enable scale in asset-heavy models
What does it take to secure funding for asset-heavy, circular startups?
In this episode, Jakob Röskamp, CFO at Traceless Materials, shares how customer validation builds investor confidence, why off-take agreements are key to de-risking CapEx-heavy models, and how combining equity, debt, and grants can reduce the cost of capital.
While this series looks at how VCs select circular startups, it’s equally important to understand how startups choose their investors. Jakob shares practical insights on what that process looks like from the startup side. He also talks about Traceless’s approach to lifecycle assessments, as well as managing complexity when scaling a circular solution in the real world.
People
Jakob Röskamp, CFO at Traceless
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakobroeskamp/
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:59 Favorite philosopher: Aristotle & ethics
02:40 Overview of Traceless Bio‑based Materials
06:24 Scaling the Production
08:35 Equity, Grants & Debt: Mixed Funding Strategy
09:22 Choosing investors: impact, tech, commercial
21:43 Off-take agreements: reducing investor risk
26:36 Redefining growth within planetary boundaries
28:39 Advice for circular founders
29:15 Circular trends & Jakob’s invitation
About
Traceless is a Hamburg-based company on a mission to fight plastic pollution with truly sustainable materials. Founded in 2020, Traceless has developed an innovative, plastic-free biomaterial made from agricultural plant residues.
Their materials are fully compostable, leaving no harmful traces in the environment, and offer a real alternative for products where recycling isn’t practical. By combining cutting-edge science with a commitment to circularity, Traceless is helping to shape a future where everyday products no longer contribute to the global plastic problem.
Further Links
https://www.traceless.eu/post/successful-funding-round
One-page Summary
Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/selecting-the-right-investors-for-your-materials-startup-with-jakob-roskamp-from-traceless-materials/
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By Patrick Hypscher
5
11 ratings
How customer traction, off-takes, and capital stack enable scale in asset-heavy models
What does it take to secure funding for asset-heavy, circular startups?
In this episode, Jakob Röskamp, CFO at Traceless Materials, shares how customer validation builds investor confidence, why off-take agreements are key to de-risking CapEx-heavy models, and how combining equity, debt, and grants can reduce the cost of capital.
While this series looks at how VCs select circular startups, it’s equally important to understand how startups choose their investors. Jakob shares practical insights on what that process looks like from the startup side. He also talks about Traceless’s approach to lifecycle assessments, as well as managing complexity when scaling a circular solution in the real world.
People
Jakob Röskamp, CFO at Traceless
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakobroeskamp/
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:59 Favorite philosopher: Aristotle & ethics
02:40 Overview of Traceless Bio‑based Materials
06:24 Scaling the Production
08:35 Equity, Grants & Debt: Mixed Funding Strategy
09:22 Choosing investors: impact, tech, commercial
21:43 Off-take agreements: reducing investor risk
26:36 Redefining growth within planetary boundaries
28:39 Advice for circular founders
29:15 Circular trends & Jakob’s invitation
About
Traceless is a Hamburg-based company on a mission to fight plastic pollution with truly sustainable materials. Founded in 2020, Traceless has developed an innovative, plastic-free biomaterial made from agricultural plant residues.
Their materials are fully compostable, leaving no harmful traces in the environment, and offer a real alternative for products where recycling isn’t practical. By combining cutting-edge science with a commitment to circularity, Traceless is helping to shape a future where everyday products no longer contribute to the global plastic problem.
Further Links
https://www.traceless.eu/post/successful-funding-round
One-page Summary
Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/selecting-the-right-investors-for-your-materials-startup-with-jakob-roskamp-from-traceless-materials/