Caterina Maggi (CFO) | Giorgia Leonardi (CEO) | Lorenzo Oliva (CTO)

BEAWaRe helps companies and municipalities to optimize waste collection with simple and automated software that saves time and costs thanks to data analysis. We make the world more sustainable by promoting a circular economy and facilitating the digital transition through environmental, social and economic sustainability.

01. Describe the problem/the industry that you are trying to  mediate (and precise the UN SDG-s you are solving). 

Waste production will increase from 2 to 3.4 billion tonnes by 2050. Even in Europe, where 96% of waste is collected, only 29% is recycled, which will lead to air, soil and water pollution. But low waste recycling also has an economic impact on our countries, as the cost of landfilling increases. This is why governments in Europe are taking action and making the monitoring of waste disposal digital and mandatory. However, the reality is that waste tracking is still mainly done on paper. Every year, 81 million forms are handwritten on paper for waste disposal, costing our industries and cities €1 billion. When it comes to the circular economy, the paperwork effort is doubled, with the fear of getting it wrong and therefore going against the law and incurring high fines. We automate waste forms, minimising the possibility of errors, through a SaaS solution. In addition, we facilitate the introduction of waste into the circular economy market through by-products and donations. We value waste as a new resource, personally seeking out customers interested in reusing waste.

BEAWaRe contributes to the achievement of the following SDGs:

• SDG 9: Using IoT waste detection, our software monitors the filling status of waste bins and the position of waste from collection to landfill in real time. We offer an innovative combination of a user-friendly, easy and intuitive platform and high-performance hardware to optimise collection service routes and schedules.

• SDG 12: We aim to reduce the generation of unsorted waste, encouraging the reintroduction of waste into the circular economy market as by-products and donations. We encourage businesses and cities to adopt our totally paperless digital service, promoting transparency on the positive impact and responsibility of promoting a circular economy.

• SDG 13: Through route optimisation, reduction of waste to landfill and recycling of materials, we contribute to the reduction of CO2-Eq. The circular economy is also a climate action!

02. How did the idea to create the company come to mind? How  did your team come to be? 

BEAWaRe was born in 2021 from the desire to make the transition to sustainable and meritocratic waste management easy and smart. The aim is to create services for companies and municipalities that want to move to the circular economy. Caterina, Lorenzo and Daniele have known Giorgia for more than ten years and came together thanks to their common passion for sustainability. BEAWaRe's first idea was to create a level sensor for skips in Rome to solve the problem of overflowing in the street. However, when talking to customers, the founding team realised that the real challenge lay in managing the data. So BEAWaRe launched its first solution, BeTARIP, a software for municipalities and waste management companies that want to implement a Pay-As-You-Throw waste tax system. Since January 2023, the team has been growing, with six people joining the team to support it in the areas of marketing, sales, legal and data analysis. The combination of skills acquired has enabled the rapid development of BeTRACK. The software is designed for companies to automate waste management activities, digital tracking and reintroduction of waste into the circular economy market (by-products and donations).

03. Why did you choose to participate in the Techstars Sustainability Paris Accelerator program?  

We applied to Techstars because we wanted to challenge our team and our company in one of the best accelerator programs in the world. We will have the opportunity to build a strong international network and compare our mindset as a startup from one country to another. Although we are still at the beginning of the program, we already feel part of a strong community, which supports us and pushes us to improve every day. We also know that mentoring and tutoring activities are essential to our growth and to the structuring of the team. Finally, we are looking for contacts with different sectors (health, chemical, manufacturing, construction, fashion, pharmaceutical,...) in order to enter the world of waste management more efficiently.

04. What are you the most proud of in your initial journey with  your company? 

Our greatest pride is that we have been able to design a solution that can meet the needs of public administration. This is a difficult product to sell, as municipalities are not always prone to innovation or have a lot of money to risk with new game-changing solutions. However, thanks to the customer-centric vision of our product, our resilience and the multidisciplinary nature of our team, we have been able to acquire initial customers. We are currently signing half a million euro contracts with government entities and are expanding into the B2B market to grow rapidly and globally.

05. How do you plan to measure the positive impact of your  company in the next 5 years? 

We will measure our impact on the basis of tonnes of waste avoided in landfill. This has many consequences that also depend on the recycling and/or reuse of waste, which makes a huge difference in terms of CO2 equivalent emissions avoided. Reusing a material, for example, uses much less energy than making it from scratch. In addition, landfills are greenhouse gas emitters, so with a circular economy, the emissions savings are even greater! This is why we are building a model that will help our customers measure their indirect emissions related to scope 3. Finally, we will also measure the positive impact of a fully digital system in terms of paper savings.

Follow our page on Linkedin to stay updated on our journey and the innovative ways in which we continue to make a difference in the water sector.

For the latest news on our applications, please visit our page.

Read More