Bekia Closes $765K Round, Bringing Digital Tracking to Informal Recycling Markets

Egyptian waste technology startup Bekia has raised $765,000 in seed funding to expand its enterprise software offering and bring more structure to the country’s fragmented recycling supply chain. The round was led by Madica, a venture program affiliated with Flourish Ventures, with participation from Catalyst Fund and Jambaar Capital.

The timing aligns with Egypt’s efforts to improve municipal waste management, which currently generates around 60,000 tonnes daily – much of it ending up in unmanaged landfills. Government targets aim to increase the recycling rate from 37% in 2024 to 60% by 2027.

The challenge lies partly in the informal nature of Egypt’s recycling sector, where independent collectors often operate without formal contracts or consistent records. This makes it difficult for businesses to track material origins and destinations.

From Consumer App to B2B Platform

Bekia initially launched as a consumer app allowing households to schedule pickups and receive digital payments based on weighed materials. The company has since evolved into an intermediary connecting households, collectors, and recycling plants.

Founder and CEO Alaa Afifi emphasizes the difference between the market value of recyclable materials and the information surrounding them: “Materials already have prices; knowing their source and impact is much harder.”

The Bekia Next platform, launching in October, will address this by capturing data across the recycling chain – from collection to processing – generating CO₂-avoidance reports for corporate customers.

Expanding Beyond Egypt

With over 25,000 tonnes of waste diverted and a network of more than 2,400 collectors (97% women), Bekia is poised to expand beyond its home market. The seed funding will support this growth and allow the company to test its model in another African country.

The bigger opportunity lies in transforming existing recycling activity into a recurring software revenue stream – providing companies with verifiable data on their environmental impact while supporting sustainable waste management practices across Africa.