“Offering the Whole Package Really Does Make Us Pretty Special.”
Lilian Schwich is developing sustainable battery recycling processes with the startup cylib GmbH
In February, the NRW Economics Minister Mona Neubaur visited the new Collective Incubator in the Jahrhunderthalle on Jülicher Straße in Aachen, which brings startups, spin-offs, and student initiatives together with companies and RWTH institutes.
Eight RWTH startups had the opportunity to present themselves to the minister, who was very impressed: “Our startup scene really does offer great innovations for a climate-friendly and sustainable economy,” said Mona Neubaur. “Just looking at ideas and solutions in the future fields of battery technology, mobility, and hydrogen shows the leaps in innovation that are possible when startups and established industry work together.”
Lilian Schwich, CEO of cylib GmbH, also had the opportunity to present her startup from RWTH's “battery valley” and impress the minister. The young company founder said of the event: “It was not only a great opportunity to present our ideas to the minister, rector, and RWTH chancellor, but we also had the chance to make the topics more tangible for people by engaging in a personal one-to-one discussion.”
Lilian Schwich also had the opportunity to present her startup from RWTH's “battery valley” and impress the minister.
Recovering all the Materials
Together with co-founder Paul Sabarny, Schwich’s research in the Battery Recycling Group at the RWTH Institute for Metallurgical Process Engineering and Metal Recycling (IME) has led to the development of a process that makes the recycling of lithium-ion batteries more efficient and sustainable. Cylib's new process enables all the materials from a lithium-ion battery to be recovered. Previously, only cobalt and nickel were able to be recovered, but the cylib process means that lithium, graphite, and manganese can now also be recovered. According to its own statement, the startup, which was founded just last year, boasts a recycling efficiency of more than 90 percent.
“We didn't want to settle for recycling just the valuable metals, but also the base metals such as aluminum and steel, as well as the non-metallic components.
Offering the whole package really does make us pretty special,” says Schwich proudly. Cylib has yet another advantage: Where previous processes for lithium and graphite recovery make use of chemicals, cylib uses water after thermally pretreating the material. “This is something that sets us apart internationally,” says the young company founder. “With our recycling process, we actually start at the end of the value chain. But with our efficient and environmentally friendly process, we ultimately want to enable the production of new sustainable batteries. That's how the cycle closes.”
Startup Capital for the Pilot Factory
Just last fall, the young startup received seed funding amounting to 3.6 million euros. This money will now be used to build a pilot factory that will prove the industrial scalability of the new recycling process. The five-meter-high factory building at cylib's headquarters on Philipsstrasse still looks a little empty. But Schwich is happy about the location that they have chosen: “The various process steps – thermal, mechanical, and chemical – are all combined under one roof. So the infrastructure has to be a good fit. That was why the room height of five meters was also very important in our search, as were the existing floor ducts for supplying materials or for providing and disposing of gas.” Furthermore, Aachen was a deliberate choice of location. Not only for family and historical reasons – Schwich grew up in nearby Roetgen and graduated from high school in Monschau – but also the proximity to the University was an important criterion: “The engineers and technicians that study and graduate here at RWTH are excellent.” The current team of 15 employees all came directly from RWTH or joined the startup having graduated from RWTH and having worked elsewhere previously. However, the startup will also look further afield in the region to continue to develop the company.
Family Environment
In the meantime, the founding team has also grown, as Schwich’s husband, Gideon, who holds a doctorate in industrial engineering, is now responsible for the economic tasks and processes. “We were looking for someone who had business acumen, someone we could trust, and someone we could work well with. Finally, we realized: He was already waiting in the wings. Gideon experienced the founding process first-hand and he was always there for us. Although he was still working for another company, he took time out on weekends, and the three of us thought things through and worked everything out together.” Lilian Schwich also mentions another person from the family of the management team who is important for the success and future development of the startup. Paul Sabarny's sister Margarita Gundlach, who lives in Los Angeles, makes up the advisory board of cylib GmbH together with a co-investor. She brings a wealth of international experience in business development to the table. For the young entrepreneur, trust and competence are the most important pillars in the work of the founding team.
Schwich initially wanted to study European Studies in Maastricht, “because working with the EU means that you learn bits and pieces of many different subject areas and you can also put this knowledge into practice. I wanted to keep my options open.” She then heard about the Technology Communication degree program at RWTH and finally decided to enroll, choosing a specialization in materials engineering. She then majored in materials engineering for her master's degree: “I found the materials engineering perspective even more exciting and fascinating.” Now she has almost completed her doctorate: “My dissertation is being proofread right now.”
Originally, being an entrepreneur was not part of Schwich's further career plan. During her research work in the IME's Battery Recycling Group, she and Paul Sabarny consulted with many chemical and automotive companies on battery issues and found their process to be highly innovative.
“We wanted to implement the processes in the manner in which we designed them. However, as employed engineers in a corporate group, this only seemed to be possible to a limited extent.”
That’s how they had already got the startup going before the energy crisis started. The growing importance of renewable energies and e-mobility in recent years then only strengthened their resolve to pursue the idea.
Professional Networks
When asked about the success factors so far, Schwich also mentions two RWTH alumni from her circle of friends and acquaintances who already had a great deal of startup experience: Max Odendahl, founder of “Silexica”, encouraged her and put her in touch with important connections. Matthias Breidenbach, an entrepreneur in Munich, recognized their idea’s potential for the raw material supply chain and sustainability, and brought her into contact with people who are interested in the topic.
Lilian Schwich, Paul Sabarny, and Gideon Schwich found another great source of support at RWTH Innovation GmbH. In the Ideation Program of the “Excellence Start-up Center.NRW” located there, they learned the basics that they needed to be company founders and attended workshops with mentors. They found talking to other company founders to be particularly helpful. Last but not least, Innovation GmbH also helped them deal with patent rights. “With Innovation GmbH, the Digital Church, and the Collective Incubator, RWTH and its wider network provide excellent sources of information and great networks for startups. We were not aware of this opportunity before,” recalls Schwich.
More information:
Link to interview at the Excellence Start-up Center
Looking back, she strongly recommends that all those interested in starting a business take advantage of these professional networks. Equally important, however, is support and motivation from your family and friends as well as perseverance and a strong will. Finally, she adds: “The idea itself is really important. Please do not start a business just because the scene is exciting right now.
It is the idea that gives you the strength to look forward to going to work every day – no matter how stressful it is or how little sleep you've had.”
The cylib team has recently gone through a phase with a lot of work and little sleep: The founding team has completed a second round of fundraising, meaning that the company has now raised a total of 11.6 million euros in venture capital, enabling it to plan for the next stage of scaling. “We've accomplished a lot in a very short time and are now looking forward to a normal workday for now, cooking in the evenings, and yoga and exercise on the weekends.”
– Author: Dietrich Hunold