Key Takeaways
- ThrowMeNot closed a $550,000 pre-seed funding round led by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana Al Maktoum.
- The funding will support team expansion and scaling of delivery and fulfilment operations.
- ThrowMeNot focuses on reducing food waste by redistributing near-expiry and surplus products.
- The platform currently works with over 25 suppliers and lists more than 2,700 products.
- The company aims to support the UAE’s goal of halving food waste by 2030 and expand across MENA.
ThrowMeNot Raises Pre-Seed Funding to Address Food Waste
ThrowMeNot, a sustainability-focused online food marketplace, announced the close of a $550,000 pre-seed funding round led by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana bin Khalifa Saeed Al Maktoum. The investment will be used to accelerate team growth and scale delivery and fulfilment capabilities, with the goal of ensuring a reliable and seamless customer experience.
Founded in 2025 by UAE-based entrepreneur Archie Rudyuk, ThrowMeNot targets food waste, a significant sustainability challenge in the region. According to company data, an estimated 3.27 million tonnes of food are wasted annually in the UAE.
“In the UAE, an estimated 3.27 million tonnes of food are wasted annually,” said Archie Rudyuk, co-founder of ThrowMeNot. “We founded ThrowMeNot to address this problem, enabling suppliers to recover value from near-expiry inventory while providing consumers with affordable, high-quality products.”
ThrowMeNot Marketplace Model and Supplier Network
ThrowMeNot operates a dedicated marketplace that redistributes near-expiry and surplus products that might otherwise be discarded. The platform offers discounts of up to 90% off retail prices, aligning incentives across the supply chain by making waste reduction commercially viable for suppliers and convenient for consumers.
Currently, the marketplace works with more than 25 suppliers and lists over 2,700 products across categories such as food, chocolates, beauty items, and vitamins. The platform features more than 885 well-known brands, enabling suppliers to reduce losses while offering consumers access to discounted products.
Following the investment, ThrowMeNot plans to expand platform capacity to serve consumers across the UAE more broadly.
Alignment With National Sustainability Goals
Supporting UAE Food Waste Reduction Targets
ThrowMeNot’s model aligns with the UAE’s national objective of halving food waste by 2030, as outlined under the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative (ne’ma). By redistributing surplus and near-expiry products, the platform contributes to waste reduction while supporting affordability.
“ThrowMeNot’s mission aligns with the UAE’s sustainability agenda and regional efforts to reduce food waste,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana Al Maktoum. “The platform helps suppliers recover value and provides consumers with affordable food.”
Regional Expansion Plans
Looking ahead, ThrowMeNot plans to scale its operations beyond the UAE into other MENA markets. The company aims to build a broader ecosystem of sustainability-driven products and services that extend beyond food, promoting conscious consumption across everyday categories.
According to the company, the pre-seed funding will support these expansion efforts while strengthening operational capabilities to meet growing demand.
