Borro just raised €1.3 million to expand its digital deposit system into the Netherlands, Germany, and France this summer. The Brussels startup links reusable cups to a visitor’s bank card, then refunds the deposit the moment a cup goes back. For anyone building in events, hardware, or sustainability, this round shows where reusable packaging is heading.
The company announced the raise on May 27, 2026. It follows a €350,000 first round in November 2024, so Borro has now closed two rounds in roughly 18 months. Together, the two rounds have given the young company real momentum.
Why Borro Matters:
Reusable cups are everywhere at large events now, and European rules keep pushing that shift forward. The pressure is real. In 2024, Tomorrowland risked a fine of up to €2 million for serving drinks in single-use cups. Organisers want a system that feels easy for visitors and stays simple to run, and that gap is exactly what Borro fills.
The deposit return system ties each cup to a payment instead of a token or a coin. Visitors don’t fumble with plastic chips, and staff don’t count them at the end of the night. The whole loop runs through the card a person already carries. It’s a small change in behaviour with a big drop in waste.
How it Works:
Cups get scanned at the point of sale, so each one is registered the second it’s bought. When a visitor is done, they drop the cup at a smart return point, even if stacked, and the system reads it instantly. The refund then lands in the customer’s bank account, with no cash and no manual step.
Borro also runs 24/7 monitoring. Organisers watch return rates, busy moments, stand performance, and overall system health, all in one place. Staff get back the hours they used to spend counting tokens and chasing refunds.
Codes Over RFID:
Most reusable packaging systems lean on RFID chips. Borro went a different route on purpose. The team built an approach around invisible codes that cameras read, which keeps the cups cheaper and the whole setup simpler.
Co-founder Glenn Verhaege said the goal was a solution that’s simpler and more affordable, and that they’ve now proven it works at scale. Each cup stays worthless until it’s linked to a real payment, which is how the system blocks fraud.
Real Venues, Real Numbers:
Borro already runs at Belgian football clubs like Club Brugge and KV Mechelen, and millions of reusable cups have moved through its system. Club Brugge began searching for a better cup setup in early 2025 and switched to Borro for speed and reliability. Those live deployments give the funding pitch hard proof, not just promises.
AZ Alkmaar then became the first football club in the Netherlands to move fully to Borro’s digital deposit system, leaving tokens behind. That mix of Belgian and Dutch clubs gives the startup a solid base heading into its wider push.
The Funding Round:
The round drew a strong investor group. Seeder Fund, imec.istart, Bluesnipe, PMV, and butterfly & elephant, the corporate venture arm of GS1 Germany, all took part. GS1 sets the standards that connect retailers and FMCG companies across global supply chains, so that backing carries real weight for a packaging startup. The €1.3 million also sits well above the €350,000 Borro raised in late 2024, a clear jump in scale.
Co-founder Kasper Albers said the money goes toward growing the team and speeding up expansion across Europe. He wants Borro to become the European reference for digital deposit systems.
Where Borro Heads Next:
The startup recently joined PSG Labs, the innovation programme run by Paris Saint-Germain at Station F, and it’s preparing a setup at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. Concert venues, amusement parks, and festivals are showing interest, too.
Founded in 2023 by Glenn Verhaege, Kasper Albers, and Niels Willems, Borro has built a clear path from a single Belgian pilot to a rollout across several countries. With €1.3 million in fresh capital and live results behind it, the digital deposit system now has the fuel to carry reusable packaging well beyond its home market. If you follow European startup funding or SustainabilityTech, Borro is a name you’ll keep running into.
