UAE Start-up Nadeera Wins $100,000 In Pepsico’s Greenhouse Accelerator Program

UAE start-up and waste management company was given $100,000 by PepsiCo as part of the organization’s Greenhouse Accelerator Programme. At the first edition of the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator Programme, 10 MENA companies were selected after a multi-stage judging process and Nadeera was given the grant to boost the circular economy solution.

An Overview Of Nadeera Start-Up And This Programme

Nadeera was given the grant for their Yalla Return circular economy initiative; a trash-for-cash system and Nadeera is the first company to introduce this system in the Middle East and North Africa. The trash for cash is a system where the company will give money for the number of recyclables that a person gives to the company.

Apart from the grant for boosting circular economy solutions, Nadeera was also granted membership in Food Tech Valley, a major food technology hub in Dubai that develops sustainable farming technologies in the UAE to increase the food security of the country.

The company Nadeera was founded in the year 2020 and the representative of the company has stated that the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator Programme grant would help the business to expand and grow out of any obstacles. 

PepsiCo’s Greenhouse Accelerator Programme was launched last November in partnership with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in the UAE. Later the program was launched after signing a memorandum of understanding between three parties; the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, PepsiCo, and the UAE Food Technology.

The program was launched with the aim of powering up companies that can contribute to the sustainable development of countries in the Middle East and North Africa. 

The PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator Programme formed a committee that includes a few members from the three organizations; PepsiCo, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and Food Technology. Many different companies from all parts of the Middle East and North Africa were part of the program and the committee ranked the companies based on five criteria; which are breakthrough potential of the company, relevance in the Middle East and North Africa, strategic energy, and sustainability. 

When talking about the potential of start-ups in attaining sustainability, Mariam Al Mheiri, the Minister of Climate Change and Environment has said, “Start-ups have always been known to rise to the challenge, innovate fearlessly and break the mold, particularly in the face of rising global challenges like sustainability”.

Mariam also added that the Greenhouse Accelerator Programme initiative aligns with UAE’s mission to shift towards a circular economy and this initiative has set an example that great ideas can come through collaboration and innovation. 

When the Pepsico Mena Greenhouse Accelerator Programme was launched last year, the organization received applications from 70 companies. Among them, only 10 companies were selected for the program and five of the ten companies are in the UAE.

All 10 companies will receive an initial grant of $20,000 that will support their company. The 6-month program of PepsiCo will initially focus on supporting the establishment and operation of the selected start-ups in their respective country.

Along with this, the selected company is also given an opportunity for a mentorship session with the experts of PepsiCo and Food Tech Valley. The mentorship session will guide the companies on various aspects like business models, product development, market activation, and so on.

Nadeera was the winner of the PepsiCo Greenhouse Acceleration Program and the other four companies of UAE that were selected among the 10 companies are Cycled Technologies AS, a company that provides an artificial intelligent waste bin, Tridentech (Terrax), a company that turns the waste items into durable products, Al Tabeeah, a trading company that creates biodegradable packaging solutions, and finally We4Recycle, a company that recycles plastic bags.