CIRQUEL's January & February 2026 Milestones: Recognition, ecosystem momentum & AI infrastructure in motion!
The beginning of 2026 has already set a powerful tone for CIRQUEL. Across two months, we have experienced a combination of industry validation, ecosystem recognition, and deep technological engagement - reinforcing that reverse logistics and circular infrastructure are becoming central to the future of fashion, home, and textile-based industries.
From winning first place at a national acceleration programme, to being ranked among Spain’s leading circular fashion startups, to engaging with cutting-edge AI infrastructure discussions in Paris - the year has started with strong momentum.
1. CIRQUEL Wins 1st Prize at Startup Boost Investor Day in Zaragoza
On January 15th, at Etopia in Zaragoza, CIRQUEL was awarded 1st Prize at the Investor Day concluding the five-month Startup Boost acceleration programme, led by Sherpa Tribe within the framework of INCIBE Emprende, in collaboration with Fundación Ibercaja, Mobility City, and the Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza.
The programme, inaugurated on September 17th, brought together 10 finalist startups pitching before an expert jury and investors, including representatives from Dozen Investments and key ecosystem leaders such as Inés G. (INCIBE), Jaime Armengol (Mobility City), and Stéphane L. Maisons (Sherpa Tribe).
The finalist startups included:
- CIRQUEL
- BID FACTORY ZARAGOZA
- VFenixX
- Ostirion
- Biopareja
- Mettis AI
- Bugcle
- Pulpop
- SCAI Engineering
- JMA Energía Renovable
Final awards were announced as: 🥇 CIRQUEL 🥈 BID FACTORY ZARAGOZA 🥉 VFenixX ✨ Special mention: Ostirion
CIRQUEL was represented on stage by Co-Founder June Arrieta, who delivered a focused 5-minute pitch presenting our vision for AI-powered reverse logistics and circular infrastructure across fashion, home, and textile ecosystems. Winning first prize is not only recognition of our technology - it is validation of the urgency of solving what happens after purchase.
2. We were ranked Top 4 Spanish Fashion Circularity Startup by F6S
In February, CIRQUEL was ranked #4 among the top Spanish fashion circularity startups by F6S, one of the world’s largest startup and investor networks.
F6S connects millions of founders and investors globally and is widely used by accelerators, venture funds, and innovation programmes to identify high-potential startups. Being ranked among Spain’s leading circular fashion startups reinforces CIRQUEL’s positioning within the European ecosystem as a technology company focused on circular post-purchase infrastructure.
This recognition reflects not only our product development but also our growing relevance in the conversation around responsible afterlife management of textiles - across fashion, home decor, accessories, and even adjacent industries like automotive interiors.
3. CIRQUEL at MCP Connect Day in Paris
The conference brought together engineers and product leaders from companies including:
- OpenAI
- Hugging Face
- Mistral AI
- GitHub
- Postman
- Air France
- Glovo
- Cisco
- PrestaShop
- Canal+
- Betclic
- and others across AI and enterprise ecosystems
The event focused on the evolution of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and its implications for scalable AI systems.
Key insights Carlos brought back:
- MCP is rapidly maturing, but scaling challenges remain protocol-level.
- Stateless architecture is becoming critical for large-scale deployments.
- Discoverability remains one of the ecosystem’s biggest unresolved challenges.
- Generative UI is still early but sandboxed models (like MCP apps) may unlock safer innovation.
- Most importantly: building MCP infrastructure is not about exposing APIs, it’s about designing experiences for intent-driven agents.
For CIRQUEL, this is directly relevant. Our work in AI-powered defect detection, anomaly assessment, and repurposing forecasting depends on scalable, agent-oriented infrastructure. Staying close to the MCP ecosystem ensures that our architecture decisions today align with where AI tooling is heading tomorrow.
Looking Ahead: Barcelona, MWC & 4YFN
And we are not slowing down.
In just one week, CIRQUEL (represented by Anna Warchalowska - CEO and Carlos Blanco - CTO) will be attending MWC Barcelona and 4YFN, where we will continue building partnerships, meeting forward-thinking brands and logistics players, and expanding our circular infrastructure vision across Europe.
The momentum is building across ecosystems, technology, and regulation.
Stay tuned for more updates from Barcelona and beyond.
Follow CIRQUEL for the next chapter!