Exclusive: Sepura raises $3.7M for smart composting

Canadian startup Sepura Home closed a $3.7 million seed round to scale up production of its under-sink "smart composter."

Why it matters: Traditional garbage disposals create solid waste that can contribute to climate change.

Details: Sink and faucet brand Blanco led the all-equity round, which closed March 17.

• Sepura Home previously raised C$300,000 (~$223,000 USD) from angels and other local investors in March 2021.

The big picture: In-sink disposals do a great job mincing food. But they still leave solids that can get sent from water treatment to landfills, where they decompose and emit methane.

How it works: Sepura's $799 composter is like a centrifuge or "reverse juicer," COO Connor Pickard tells Axios.

• It spins quickly, sending liquids down the pipe while compacting the solids. Users then empty the box every two or four weeks into their compost bin.

Of note: A typical garbage disposal is about $200.

Meanwhile, just 27% of Americans have access to some kind of composting service — fewer still a pickup service.

• About 67% of Americans said they would compost if it was convenient, per a survey published last month by the National Waste & Recycling Association said.

Zoom in: Convenience is key. Insinkerator contends that if not for the ease of simply sending stuff down the drain — to the delight of plumbers everywhere — every bit of food waste would end up in landfills instead of just some of it.

• Indeed, homeowners generally hate garbage disposal bans.

What's next: In May, Sepura is sending its first 3,000 units to customer homes and brick-and-mortar stores.

• The company plans to use the seed capital to scale-up manufacturing. It aims to open orders fully by July.

🔧 Alan's brother's thought bubble: "I'll be interested to see if co-op or condo boards approve these as parts of larger renovations," says Jordan Neuhauser, vice president of the family plumbing business in NYC.