AI Circular Venture Sprint: new circular products in 2–3 months

A structured, AI-supported journey to design and validate new circular products, services or initiatives.


With a pilot fee discounted up to 70% for the first 3 companies.

Why an AI-augmented Venture/Product Sprint

More and more companies are setting ambitious sustainability and circular economy goals, yet many struggle to turn them into concrete circular products, services and business models.The most common challenges include:


– translating ESG objectives into real products or services
– deciding where to focus time, budget and resources among many internal ideas
– making investment decisions based on data and insights, not just slide decks


The result?
A lot of “innovation talk”, very little practical experimentation, and many missed opportunities.


To see a real example of concrete venture-building work linked to circularity, you can explore Tondo’s project: Taranto CirTech.
To discover other examples of how we support companies in creating circular products, services, and initiatives, you can visit Tondo LAB: our space for design and venture building, where we transform ideas and business needs into tangible solutions.


The AI Circular Venture Sprint is designed as a practical alternative:
a 2–3 month workflow, with clear phases and tangible outputs, taking you from a circularity challenge to 1–2 validated concepts with real market signals, ready for go/no-go decisions.

Focus: circularity, new products and new initiatives

The Sprint is designed for companies that want to:
– develop new circular products or services
– explore business models such as reuse, sharing, remanufacturing, servitization, industrial symbiosis
– evaluate spin-offs or venture-building initiatives linked to the circular transition


AI acts as an accelerator integrated across all phases:

– trend, policy, case study and benchmark analysis
– generation and refinement of concepts and models
– analysis of feedback collected during tests
– support in building business cases and decision-making materials

How the Sprint works (2–3 months)


Phase 1 – Challenge & Circular Baseline

Definition of 1–2 clear challenges linked to circularity and sustainability (reuse, materials, waste streams, new services, etc.).
When useful, we also leverage Tondo’s measurement tools to build an initial baseline.


Phase 2 – Concept & Business Model Sprint

We generate several product/service/venture options and narrow them down to:

– 1 primary concept

– 1 backup concept

both grounded in a solid circular business model.
AI supports market analysis, benchmarking and generation of variants.


Phase 3 – Validation & Experiment Design

We design and run rapid tests (interviews, surveys, landing pages, lightweight PoCs) to gather real market signals.
AI helps create questionnaires, analyze data and synthesize evidence.


Phase 4 – Decision & Roadmap

We reach a structured decision on the primary concept (go / refine / stop).
We build a 3–6 month roadmap with steps, resources and possible options, including a potential spin-off path

What your company gains

At the end of the Sprint, you will have:

– 1 clearly defined circular/product challenge
– 1 primary + 1 backup concept
– qualitative and quantitative test results
– a mini business case with analysis, insights and recommendations
– a 3–6 month roadmap
– decision-ready materials (slides, memos, summaries)


Not just ideas, but concrete elements to decide whether, how and with whom to invest.

Who the Sprint is for

The Sprint is ideal if your company:

– is a mid-large company, corporate or utility
– has clear circular economy or ESG objectives
– has already worked on efficiency and reporting and now wants to move into new business models
– can involve a small internal team (innovation, sustainability, business unit)


It is NOT suitable for companies looking for:

– branding activities without real intent to test or take decisions
– “theatrical” innovation formats

Pilot offer: up to 70% discount for the first 3 companies

For the launch, we are opening 3 pilot slots to be started in the next months, with:

– a fee discounted up to 70% compared to standard programs of similar duration/complexity
– a personalized journey focused on one specific challenge
– direct support from the Tondo team, with targeted use of AI across all phases


Final pricing is defined case by case based on:

– complexity of the challenge
– number of people involved
– level of testing required

How to apply to the pilot Sprint

To apply for the AI Circular Venture Sprint, write to info@tondo.tech with subject:

“AI Circular Venture Sprint Application”

Include:

– Company name and website
– Sector and size
– Name, role and contact details of the reference person
– Brief description of the challenge you want to work on
– Indicative start period (quarter or semester)


Alternatively, you can fill in the dedicated form.


We will review applications on a rolling basis and schedule an exploratory call to assess fit.


If this Sprint format is not ideal for you right now, but you would like to explore how AI could support your circular products, services or initiatives in other ways, we are open to co-designing smaller pilots and focused experiments.


Email us at info@tondo.tech with subject “AI + Circular Economy experiments” and we’ll schedule a short call to see what could fit.

Francesco Castellano

Francesco Castellano is a seasoned business leader and strategist with over 20 years of experience spanning research, finance, consulting, and entrepreneurship. He has held impactful roles, including serving as a consultant at Bain & Company, launching Uber operations in Turin, and working as Managing Director of a Swiss start-up. In recent years, Francesco Castellano founded Tondo, a hub of... Read more

Francesco Castellano is a seasoned business leader and strategist with over 20 years of experience spanning research, finance, consulting, and entrepreneurship. He has held impactful roles, including serving as a consultant at Bain & Company, launching Uber operations in Turin, and working as Managing Director of a Swiss start-up.

In recent years, Francesco Castellano founded Tondo, a hub of organizations dedicated to promoting Circular Economy approaches and supporting companies in transitioning to sustainable and circular practices. He is also the ideator and coordinator of the Re-think Circular Economy Forum, a high-profile event held across Italy to showcase innovative Circular Economy solutions.

Francesco Castellano collaborates with European institutions, serving as an expert for the European Commission’s Circular Cities and Regions Initiative and mentoring startups in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) New European Bauhaus Booster Program. Through these roles, he actively supports the development and scaling of circular economy ventures across Europe.

He is also a sought-after speaker and lecturer, sharing his expertise on Circular Economy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at universities and international events. Francesco holds executive education certificates from prestigious institutions such as MIT, Harvard, and the University of Virginia, further solidifying his credentials in strategy, sustainability, and innovation.

Fluent in Italian, English, and Spanish, Francesco Castellano combines his diverse skill set with a passion for Circular Economy, Cleantech Innovations, and Entrepreneurship. His strong background in Corporate Strategy, Sustainability, Innovation Development, and Finance enables him to drive impactful change in every initiative he undertakes.

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