Sort A Brick

Sort A Brick, a Lithuanian deep-tech startup founded in 2023 by Ilya Malkin and Aurimas Slapšys, is positioned to address the circular economy within the toy industry. The company operates a service-based business model centered on the restoration of used toy building bricks for consumers. Clients send their mixed collections of bricks to the company's facility in Lithuania. Upon receipt, the bricks are disassembled, cleaned, and then scanned by a proprietary system.

This core technology utilizes AI-powered computer vision to identify each brick by shape, color, and design. The system's neural network inventories the customer's collection and cross-references it against a database of over 20,000 sets ever produced to determine which can be fully or partially restored. A report is then generated for the customer, outlining the restorable sets and providing a quote for sourcing any missing pieces from online marketplaces. The business generates revenue through a tiered fee structure: a per-kilogram charge for the initial analysis and grouping, and optional fees for sorting the bricks into complete sets and for procuring missing parts. Once approved by the customer, the company sorts the bricks, packages them into individual ready-to-build sets with links to online instructions, and ships them back.

The concept for Sort A Brick originated from co-founder Ilya Malkin's personal experience with his children's large and disorganized collection of bricks, which he viewed as both costly and wasteful. Malkin, who has a background in economics, a management consulting business, and experience co-founding a micro-VC fund, identified a market opportunity in giving these durable plastic toys a second life. Co-founder Aurimas Slapšys brings technical and product leadership experience from his time at Vinted, Lithuania's first unicorn, and an AI graphics startup. The company secured €1.15 million in a 2024 pre-seed funding round led by Firstpick and supported by several business angels, including Vinted co-founder Mantas Mikuckas, which has enabled investment in machinery, computer vision technology, and software development. Sort A Brick launched a pilot service in Germany in late 2024 and aims to expand across Europe, with plans for another funding round.

Keywords: toy brick sorting, LEGO restoration, circular economy, AI computer vision, reuse service, sustainable toys, deep-tech, automated sorting, custom building sets, refurbished toys, toy recycling, Lithuania startup, Ilya Malkin, Aurimas Slapšys, brick inventory, missing piece sourcing, sustainable play, upcycling toys, toy-as-a-service, plastic waste reduction