Wastelink: 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Wastelink is an innovative Indian cleantech startup that addresses the critical issue of food waste by transforming surplus food into nutritious animal feed ingredients. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in New Delhi, it operates on a circular economy model to reduce landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions associated with discarded food. Utilizing proprietary AI-driven technology and sustainable processing methods, Wastelink has positioned itself as a key player in the emerging food upcycling industry in India, supporting thousands of animals and partnering with numerous food producers. This article explores ten essential aspects of Wastelink, revealing how it blends technology, sustainability, and business innovation to tackle one of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

1. Origins and Founders

Wastelink was founded in 2018 by Saket Dave and Krishnan Kasturirangan, driven by a vision to solve India’s extensive food waste problem through a sustainable, scalable solution. With backgrounds in waste management, entrepreneurship, and business strategy, the founders aimed to create a system that transforms surplus and rejected food products from manufacturers and retailers into valuable animal nutrition. Their focus on a circular economy reflects a commitment to environmental conservation while addressing economic inefficiencies in the food supply chain.

2. The Food Waste Challenge in India

India wastes approximately 40% of its food production, amounting to millions of tonnes annually. This staggering quantity not only aggravates resource depletion but also contributes significantly to climate change by releasing potent methane emissions from landfills. Wastelink targets pre-consumer food waste—surplus food generated before consumption, including manufacturing rejects and supply chain losses—tackling the issue at its root to prevent edible food from becoming waste.

3. Innovative Upcycling Technology

Central to Wastelink’s operation is its proprietary, AI-powered technology platform that enables efficient sourcing, tracking, and processing of surplus food into feed ingredients. The system offers full traceability across the supply chain, helping food producers manage waste responsibly while providing feed manufacturers with a consistent, high-quality input. This technology ensures transparency, compliance, and optimized logistics, facilitating large-scale impact.

4. Product and Animal Feed Impact

Wastelink's flagship product, branded as ECOMIX, is a standardized animal feed ingredient formulated from processed former foodstuffs such as breads, cakes, biscuits, and other FMCG surplus. ECOMIX caters to varied livestock including cattle, poultry, aquaculture, swine, and pets. The feed has been shown to improve animal yields, such as increasing milk production by up to 15%, while providing a nutritious alternative to traditional feed commodities like maize and soy.

5. Scale and Reach

As of 2025, Wastelink serves over 5,000 pincodes across India and has upcycled more than 35,000 tonnes of food surplus into animal feed ingredients. Its four processing facilities located in Sonipat, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Bengaluru enable efficient handling of a diverse range of wet and dry food products. The company partners with more than 50 food suppliers and about a dozen animal feed firms, exemplifying broad industry acceptance.

6. Economic and Environmental Benefits

By redirecting surplus food from waste streams into animal nutrition, Wastelink delivers multiple benefits: reducing food disposal costs for producers, decreasing methane emissions by preventing landfill disposal, saving water and land resources by replacing conventional feed grains, and enhancing supply chain resilience. This approach supports sustainable agriculture and contributes to climate change mitigation, positioning Wastelink as an environmental and economic innovator.

7. Funding and Growth

Wastelink has successfully raised around $5.3 million USD in funding across several rounds, including a notable $3 million Series A from Avaana Capital in 2025. The capital infusion is being deployed to strengthen research and development, enhance the AI technology stack, expand product categories (including meat processing by-products), and broaden geographic operations, with plans to enter Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

8. Circular Economy and Sustainability Commitment

Wastelink’s business model exemplifies circular economy principles by closing the loop on food production and consumption. Instead of surplus food becoming waste, it is upcycled into high-value products, fostering sustainability. The company also offers an app, Reverse, for brands to remotely track and manage their food waste, improving transparency and encouraging proactive waste reduction across the supply chain.

9. Addressing Challenges in Food Waste Management

Operating at the intersection of technology and supply chain logistics, Wastelink has overcome challenges such as variability in food waste types, quality assurance for safe animal feed, and establishing reverse logistics systems. Their AI monitoring and processing expertise allow them to maintain consistent feed quality, compliance with safety standards, and efficient collection schedules, addressing a historically under-solved segment of waste management.

10. Future Prospects and Industry Impact

With growing recognition of food waste’s environmental footprint and the global upcycled food market projected to reach $119.8 billion by 2034, Wastelink is well-poised for significant expansion. The founders envision broadening the model to include post-consumer waste streams, diversifying products beyond animal feed, and promoting national and international collaborations for systemic food waste reduction, potentially transforming food systems worldwide.

Conclusion

Wastelink stands out as a pioneering force in India’s efforts to combat food waste through innovation, circular economy practices, and AI-driven technology. By converting surplus food into high-quality animal feed, the startup not only aids food producers and farmers but also mitigates environmental damage and promotes sustainable nutrition. Its success highlights how integrated technological solutions can address complex ecological problems, inspiring questions about how such models can be scaled globally to reshape food value chains sustainably.