Despite the well-known environmental benefits of recycling, it is estimated that Less than 10% of the world’s plastic Gets recycled. Ganiga Innovations wants to increase that percentage by using AI-enabled robotic garbage bins.
Italian startup Ganiga created three products to help better manage waste and recycling. The first is a fleet of robotic garbage cans, called Hooli, that use generic AI to determine what is garbage and what is recycling and sorts the waste accordingly. The second is a smart lid that can be fitted into an existing garbage can with the same functionality as its large bin counterpart.
The company also has a software product that allows companies to track the waste they produce; It suggests how a company can reduce waste production based on its waste data.
Ganiga will be showcasing its technology as part of the Startup Battlefield competition at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, which will run from October 27 to 30 in San Francisco.
Nicolas Zeoli, founder and CEO of Ganiga, told TechCrunch that since he was young he had a dream of building the next great company like Facebook or Apple.
He decided to focus on waste because he said the issues surrounding waste management in his native Italy were very serious – and it was clear that not much was being done about it.
“We all need to reclaim this problem,” Gioeli said. “I have read 100 articles on this problem. For example, in just one year, over 100 million tons of plastic is made all over the world and only 9% is recycled. This is a very real problem.”
techcrunch event
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October 27-29, 2025
Zeoli will launch the Ganiga in 2021 and its first prototype in 2022. Zeoli said he decided to focus on building a bin to solve this problem because not only does it give people a physical place to put trash that can ensure it is properly recycled and sorted, but also because the bins spit out data that can be used for the future.
Waste management is also costly for companies, Zeoli said. Many organizations, especially in Europe, have to comply with ESG mandates. Zeoli hopes Hooli can help companies better track their waste production to help them reduce waste and waste-related costs.
Ganiga began selling its canes in 2024 and has since sold more than 120 robots to customers such as Google and several airports including Bologna, Venice and Madrid.
Zeoli said the company is on track to generate $500,000 in revenue in 2024 and reach $750,000 in the first nine months of 2025.
The company has raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from clean tech VC firms NextStep and NextEnergy Capital, among other investors. Ganiga is looking to raise a seed round of $3 million.
The company is preparing to launch its latest product in November, HooliFood, a software product that uses camera images to accurately quantify food waste. Zeoli said the company also plans to expand into software-centric products in the future, based on the data being collected by their current cans and software.
Ganiga has focused on the European market so far, but Zeoli said he’s hoping to expand into the US; The company is also looking to shift its headquarters to the state in 2026.
“Ganiga is the first startup in the world to fill an airport with smart bins,” Zeoli said. “This is important because we do not target prototypes, we are a product, and we are open to the market.”
If You want To Learn From ganiga direct, And Look dozens Of Excessive pitches, Precious workshops And Make connection He To drive Business Result, Head Here To Learn More About this it Year to disturb, held october 27 To 29 In san Francisco.
