66. Danu Robotics The recycling industry is suffering from high costs and low efficiency. Danu Robotics has challenged this with its new robot. Written by Helena Young Sponsored by Sage Published on January 12, 2026 About the Startups 100 Now in its 18th year, the Startups 100 is the definitive list of the most promising new UK businesses. There's no fee for entry or for inclusion in our index. The Startups team of new business experts judge all our top 100 entrants in collaboration with specialist industry consultants. See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index. Founder: Xiaoyan MaYear founded: 2020Website: danurobotics.comCommitted environmentalist, Xiaoyan Ma, decided to put her background in AI to good use and tackle what she saw was a well-meaning but floundering industry – recycling.As the Edinburgh-based entrepreneur shares, “despite being a multi-billion-pound global industry, the majority of waste sorting was still being done manually – dirty, dangerous, and inefficient work with high costs and low output quality.”That output quality naturally equates to a horrendous carbon impact. “Globally, we generate over three billion tonnes of waste each year, yet less than 10% is recycled,” she adds. Globally, we generate over three billion tonnes of waste each year, yet less than 10% is recycled, Key to this is the fact that most facilities still rely on manual labour. It is hazardous work so staff turnover is high, costs are rising and contamination rates can be as much as 50%, which means fines for companies. It also means that “recyclables lose value, require costly secondary sorting, or end up in landfill or incineration,” Ma explains.Even among waste operators who had deployed robots, many had decommissioned them because they weren’t fit for purpose. Ma decided that, instead of one large robotic arm, she would create a team-based, multi-arm system. “This could work more like a group of human pickers – but faster, more precise, and at a fraction of the cost,” she says. Our vision is that every major recycling facility will view multi-arm, AI-powered robotics as the industry standard, with Danu Robotics at the forefront, This is H.E.R.O, Danu Robotics’ flagship product, an AI-powered robotic system designed for sorting mixed recyclable waste in industrial facilities. It uses advanced computer vision and machine learning to identify, sort, and separate materials with high precision and speed.She admits she faced scepticism but developed a working prototype quickly and launched trials with forward-looking partners such as Glasgow City Council. This produced the performance data needed to then take part in accelerators like SOSV HAX and Morgan Stanley’s Inclusive Ventures Lab.Danu Robotics now has some of the world’s largest waste management companies as customers. Collaborations are also taking place with Glasgow and Dundee city councils.Ma and her team believe their system could be deployed across the world in the next five years. “Our vision is that every major recycling facility will view multi-arm, AI-powered robotics as the industry standard, with Danu Robotics at the forefront,” she says.View the full Startups 100 Index for 20261. Omnea2. HIVED3. MAGIC AI4. OXCCU5. Lightyear6. Neuranics 7. Hormona8. Burbank9. Better Dairy 10. 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Teal81. Zero Fintech82. Micro Thermal Energy 83. Kanjo 84. Merlin Cloud85. My Skin Feels86. Eleria87. Cashblack88. RevvedUp89. Cosysense90. SuperFi91. Loom92. Legacy Compass93. Meshed94. SWURF95. Main Squeeze96. Sampl Technologies97. Over the Moo98. Pioneering People99. Bikebook100. Recondition Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Tags 2026 Written by: Helena Young Deputy Editor Helena is Deputy Editor at Startups. She oversees all news and supporting content on Startups, and is also the author of the weekly Startups email newsletter, delivering must-know SME updates straight to their inbox. From interviewing Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin to spotting data-led working from home trends, her insight has been featured by major trade publications including the ICAEW, and news outlets like the BBC, ITV News, Daily Express, and HuffPost UK. With a background in PR and marketing, Helena is particularly passionate about giving early-stage startups a platform to boost their brands. That's one reason she manages the Startups 100 Index, our annual ranking of new UK businesses. Sponsored by: Sage Startups 100 Index Sponsor 2026 Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of Small and Mid-Sized Businesses served by us, our partners and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.