JOYCLE

JOYCLE Inc., founded in March 2023 by CEO Yutaro Koyanagi, is a Japanese environmental services company addressing the challenges of waste management. Koyanagi, with a background in business development at companies like Sojitz, Dentsu, and U3 Innovations, established JOYCLE with the mission to create a society where resources and joy circulate. His experience, including a posting in Papua New Guinea, and subsequent roles in a human resources venture and new business development, solidified his focus on the global potential of the environmental sector.

The company operates on a Platform as a Service (PaaS) model, centered around its proprietary small-scale upcycling plant, the "JOYCLE BOX". This technology is designed to process waste at its source, converting it into valuable resources such as bio-coal and ceramic ash, thereby eliminating the need for transportation and incineration. This approach directly targets the rising costs of waste transport and the issue of aging incineration facilities, particularly in depopulating regions of Japan. JOYCLE serves businesses and municipalities, offering a solution to reduce operational costs and improve efficiency.

The business model generates revenue through consulting services and a data platform that visualizes environmental contributions and cost savings for its clients. The platform's IoT sensors also enable the potential generation of carbon credits based on CO2 reduction. The company has successfully raised approximately $1.17 million in funding and has been recognized in various startup competitions, including being selected for the "01Start 8th Term" business plan contest and winning second place at the "B Dash Camp 2025 Spring in Sapporo" pitch arena.

Keywords: waste upcycling, decentralized waste processing, environmental services, circular economy, PaaS, waste-to-resource, cleantech, data platform, sustainability, carbon credit generation