UAE Startup ThrowMeNot Secures $550k Pre-Seed
•February 10, 2026
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Why It Matters
The funding accelerates a solution to the UAE’s 3.27 million tonnes of annual food waste, creating economic value for suppliers and affordable options for consumers while supporting national sustainability targets.
Key Takeaways
- •$550k pre‑seed led by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum
- •Marketplace reduces UAE food waste via near‑expiry sales
- •Over 2,700 products from 25 suppliers listed
- •Discounts up to 90% attract price‑sensitive consumers
- •Plans to expand platform across MENA region
Pulse Analysis
The United Arab Emirates discards roughly 3.27 million tonnes of food each year, a figure that fuels both environmental concerns and economic loss. In response, ThrowMeNot entered the market in 2025, offering a digital platform that channels near‑expiry and surplus inventory directly to consumers. By converting waste into affordable goods, the startup aligns with the national goal of halving food waste by 2030 and taps into a growing consumer appetite for sustainable, value‑driven shopping experiences. Founder Archie Rudyuk leverages a decade of digital commerce and fintech experience to build a scalable tech stack.
ThrowMeNot’s marketplace aggregates more than 2,700 items from 25 partner suppliers, ranging from perishables to cosmetics, and applies discounts that can reach 90 percent off retail prices. This pricing structure creates a win‑win scenario: suppliers recover revenue that would otherwise be lost, while shoppers gain access to high‑quality products at a fraction of the cost. The platform’s algorithm matches inventory surplus with demand spikes, optimizing logistics and reducing the carbon footprint associated with traditional waste disposal. Real‑time analytics monitor expiry dates, ensuring optimal turnover and minimizing spoilage risk.
The recent $550 k pre‑seed injection, led by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana Al Maktoum, provides the capital needed to scale delivery networks and broaden the team’s technical capabilities. With funding secured, ThrowMeNot aims to replicate its UAE model across the wider MENA region, where similar supply‑chain inefficiencies present untapped market potential. Investors view the venture as both an ESG catalyst and a profitable niche, positioning the startup to capture early‑stage market share in a sector poised for rapid regulatory and consumer‑driven growth. Strategic partnerships with grocery chains and logistics firms are in negotiation to accelerate market penetration.
UAE startup ThrowMeNot secures $550k pre-seed
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ThrowMeNot has raised $550,000 in a pre-seed round, led by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana Al Maktoum.
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Founded in 2025 by Archie Rudyuk, the UAE-based startup is tackling food waste through a near-expiry and surplus goods marketplace.
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The funding will be used to expand the team and scale delivery and fulfilment across the UAE.
Press release:
ThrowMeNot, a sustainability-focused online food marketplace, today announced the close of a $550k pre-seed round, led by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana bin Khalifa Saeed Al Maktoum. The raised capital will accelerate team expansion and scaling delivery and fulfilment capabilities to ensure a reliable and seamless customer experience.
Founded in 2025 by Archie Rudyuk, a UAE-based entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in digital commerce, fintech partnerships, and e-commerce operations, ThrowMeNot tackles one of the region’s most pressing sustainability challenges: food waste.
“In the UAE, an estimated 3.27 million tonnes of food are wasted annually. We founded ThrowMeNot to address this problem, enabling suppliers to recover value from near-expiry inventory while providing consumers with affordable, high-quality products,” said Archie Rudyuk, co-founder of ThrowMeNot.
ThrowMeNot operates a dedicated marketplace that redistributes near-expiry and surplus products, preventing them from being discarded, offers discounts of up to 90% off retail prices, and aligns commercial incentives across the supply chain, making waste reduction profitable for suppliers and convenient for buyers.
Following the investment, the company is scaling its platform, enabling consumers across the UAE to purchase near-expiry and surplus products at substantial discounts. With over 25 suppliers listing more than 2,700 products on ThrowMeNot, from chocolates and beauty items to vitamins, including 885+ popular and well-loved brands, the platform helps suppliers reduce losses, consumers save money, and the UAE progress toward its national goal of halving food waste by 2030, as supported by the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative (ne’ma).
“ThrowMeNot’s mission aligns with the UAE’s sustainability agenda and regional efforts to reduce food waste. The platform helps suppliers recover value and provides consumers with affordable food, contributing to a more conscious and sustainable future across the MENA region,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana Al-Maktoum, an early investor in ThrowMeNot.
Looking ahead, ThrowMeNot will scale its platform to reduce food waste, recover value for suppliers, and provide consumers with affordable, high-quality products. The company aims to expand across the MENA region, building a broader ecosystem of sustainability-driven products, services, and initiatives that extend beyond food and promote conscious consumption across everyday categories.
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