Bekia has secured $765,000 in seed financing to launch software that will record transactions in Cairo’s largely cash-driven recycling market.
The round was led by Madica, an Africa-focused venture programme linked to Flourish Ventures. Additional checks came from the pan-African climate investor Catalyst Fund and Dakar-based Jambaar Capital.
Egypt produces roughly 60,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste each day, most of which ends up in unmanaged landfills. Government officials aim to raise the national recycling rate from about 37% in 2024 to 60% by 2027. Achieving that target requires formal contracts and records for collectors who currently operate informally.
Founder Alaa Afifi, a Cairo University computer-science graduate, launched the startup in 2017 as a consumer app that let households schedule pickups, weigh materials at set rates, and receive digital payments. The model has since shifted to a platform that links informal collectors, households and industrial recycling plants.
At the end of October, the firm introduced Bekia Next, its first B2B SaaS product. The service aggregates collection data and produces audited CO₂-avoidance reports for corporations facing tighter Scope 3 emissions requirements across the region.
Digitising informal waste streams mirrors efforts in other African cities where mobile platforms have begun to formalise scrap collection. Those initiatives have shown that reliable data can unlock financing and improve market efficiency, suggesting its approach could similarly boost recycling volumes while providing measurable climate benefits.
The firm reports diverting more than 25,000 tonnes from landfill, onboarding over 2,400 independent collectors, and serving 100,000 retail clients, 97% of whom are women. Platform throughput has risen sevenfold since 2023, with enterprise retention above 95%. Revenue comes from corporate waste contracts, margins on material sales and a refurbished electronics line launched in June 2026.
The startup is one of five companies in Madica’s latest cohort, each receiving up to $200,000 plus an 18-month mentorship programme. The other firms include Algeria’s Talenteo, Cameroon’s Paysika, Nigeria’s ChipMango and Egypt’s Delta Oil, expanding Madica’s portfolio to 18 ventures.
The seed capital will fund engineering hires, expand the subscription business and support early market testing in a second African country, positioning it to scale its digital solution beyond Egypt.
