Egyptian waste management startup Bekia raises investment from Oman accelerator

Bekia, a Cairo-based waste management startup has raised an undisclosed six-figure dollar denominated investment from Oman accelerator OTF Wadi.

Tech publication Menabytes reported in an article yesterday that Bekia is part of the accelerator’s programme.

The accelerator, which is run by the Oman Technology Fund, states on its website that it invests up to $100 000 in each of the 10 startup that it selects per each cohort of its three-month programme.

Bekia was founded in 2017 by Alaa Afifi Kamal

Bekia was founded in 2017 by Alaa Afifi Kamal (pictured above). The startup enables users to sell their household and electronic waste and earn points that they can use to buy mobile credit, groceries and school supplies.

Kamal told Ventureburn that the startup signed the deal with OTF Wadi last month will use the investment to expand its operations in Cairo and Alexandria.

He said that Bekia has more than 10 000 users and has since launch fulfilled more than 10 000 orders in 22 areas around Cairo. Since launch, the startup — which currently employs 14 full-time staff — has collected more than 8 000 tons of waste.

*UPDATE 4 December 2019. Editor’s note: The article has been updated to include comments from Bekia founder and CEO Alaa Afifi Kamal

Featured image: Bekia CEO and founder Alaa Afifi Kamal (LinkedIn)