Belagavi: Tech-enabled recycling marketplace Kabadi Man has secured its first institutional investment of ₹40 lakh from one of India’s leading Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as part of its ongoing ₹2 crore pre-seed funding round. The startup has also received an additional ₹30 lakh in soft commitments from angel investors, taking total commitments to ₹70 lakh.
Founded by Siddharth Mutkekar and Chinmay Maddinmath, and incubated at Deshpande Startups, Hubballi, Kabadi Man connects households and businesses with verified kabadiwala partners for on-demand scrap collection. The platform follows an asset-light model aimed at digitising and empowering India’s vast informal recycling workforce.
Currently operating in Belagavi and Kolhapur, the startup has completed over 5,000 orders, onboarded 550+ kabadiwala partners, served more than 3,300 customers, and diverted over 4 lakh kilograms of waste from landfills since launching its pilot operations in January 2025.
Kabadi Man’s client portfolio includes major brands such as Zepto, Blinkit, DMart, Royal Enfield, KFC, McDonald’s, and Reliance Smart. The startup has also earned recognition through the MeitY Genesis EIR Grant, winning TiECon 2026, and media coverage from leading national publications and broadcasters.
Speaking on the milestone, Founder and CEO Siddharth Mutkekar said the investment validates the company’s vision of using technology to improve the livelihoods of kabadiwalas while addressing India’s recycling challenges. He added that the company plans to expand into Bangalore, strengthen operations in existing markets, and introduce Agentic AI Voice Agents and an AI-powered Price Prediction Engine to enhance customer experience and pricing transparency.
The fresh capital will be used for market expansion, technology development, and talent acquisition. Kabadi Man aims to cross ₹10 crore in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and prepare for its next funding round.
The company is currently seeking investors for the remaining ₹1.3 crore of its pre-seed round, positioning itself at the intersection of CleanTech, waste management, and social impact sectors.
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