Ganiga will showcase its waste sorting robots at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Despite the well-known environmental benefits of recycling, estimates are low Less than 10% of the world’s plastic It is recycled. Janeja innovation The company looks forward to increasing this percentage by using automated waste bins supported by artificial intelligence.

Italian startup Ganiga has built three products to help better manage waste and recycling. The first is a fleet of robotic waste bins, called Hoooly, which uses generative AI to determine what is trash and what is recycled and sorts the waste accordingly. The second is a smart lid that can be installed in existing waste bins with the same function as its counterpart in larger bins.

The company also has a software product that allows companies to track the waste they produce; It provides suggestions on how a company can reduce waste production based on its waste data.

Ganiga will be showcasing its technology as part of this year’s event The emerging battlefield Competition in TechCrunch disabled 2025which is going on From 27 to 29 October On Moscone West in San Francisco.

Nicola Zioli, founder and CEO of Ganiga, told TechCrunch that he’s dreamed of building the next great company, like Facebook or Apple, since he was younger.

He decided to focus on waste because he said the issues surrounding waste management were so tangible in his native Italy — and it was clear that not much was being done about it.

“We all need to take this back,” Zeoli said. “I read 100 articles about this problem. For example, in one year, in just one year, more than 100 million tons of plastic are created in the whole world and only 9% is recycled. This is a very real problem.”

Zeoli launched Ganiga in 2021 and built its first prototype in 2022. Zeoli said they decided to focus on building a bin to solve this problem because it gives people a physical place to put waste that can ensure it’s recycled and sorted correctly, and because the bins broadcast data that can be used in the future.

Waste management is also expensive for businesses, Zeoli said. Many organizations, especially in Europe, have ESG mandates that must be adhered to. Zeoli hopes Hoooly can help companies better track waste production to help them reduce waste and waste-related costs in the future.

Ganiga began selling its boxes in 2024, and has since sold more than 120 robots to clients like Google and to multiple airports, including Bologna, Venice, Madrid and others.

The company generated revenue of $500,000 in 2024 and is already reaching $750,000 in just the first nine months of 2025, Zeoli said.

The company has also raised $1.5 million in seed funding from investors, including cleantech VC firm NextSTEP and NextEnergy Capital, among others. Ganiga is looking to raise a $3 million funding round.

The company is preparing to launch its latest product in November, Hoolyfood, a software product that uses camera images to determine the exact amount of food waste. The company plans to delve into more software-focused products in the future as well, based on data collected by existing funds and software, Zeoli said.

Janeja has focused on the European market so far, but Zeoli said he hopes to expand into the United States. The company is even considering moving its headquarters to the United States in 2026.

“Ganiga is the first startup in the world to fill a single airport with smart boxes,” Zeoli said. “This is important because we are not targeting a prototype; we are a product, and we are open to the market.”

If you want to learn from Janeja directly, access dozens of additional valuable presentations and workshops, and make connections that drive business results, Head here to learn more about this year’s DisruptScheduled for October 27-29 in San Francisco.