Mega Green Accelerator: How UAE-Based The Surpluss Helps SMEs Reduce Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions Profitably The Surpluss members have, so far, generated more than US$2 million through exchanges on its platform.
By Tamara Pupic
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The Mega Green Accelerator is an initiative by PepsiCo, one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, SABIC, a Riyadh-headquartered global diversified chemicals company, and 12 other strategic partners. In its inaugural 2024 edition, it selected eight startups to participate in the program, including UAE-based climate technology startup, The Surpluss.
Cutting greenhouse emissions might seem like a cumbersome undertaking for most SME leaders out there, but Rana Hajirasouli has found a way to ease their efforts in this regard—her UAE-based climate technology startup, The Surpluss, helps SMEs reduce their greenhouse gas emissions profitably. "The Surpluss is a B-Corp certified climatetech solution with a digital web platform that helps SME businesses classify their excess resources, from byproducts/waste, to knowledge, and surplus space, and capitalize on it by finding companies nearby who want it," Hajirasouli explains. "SMEs can use our diagnostic framework, and then be matched with other companies nearby that have a use for it, increasing resource efficiency, decreasing waste, and boosting profits."
The Surpluss solution is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (responsible consumption and production) as it bridges digitization, climate science, and circular economy to deliver a methodology that simplifies resource exchange to reduce emissions, profitably. In addition to an experienced, female-majority team, The Surpluss boasts of an impactful advisory board that includes experts from Kalundborg Symbiosis, an eco-industrial park in Denmark, Zurich, a Swiss insurance company, MasterCard, a global payments giant, Shell, a British multinational oil and gas company, The Rockefeller Foundation, a US philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization, and NetHope, a consortium of over 60 leading global nonprofits. Hajirasouli says that, together with her team and advisors, she acts upon a belief that technology can be used as a force for good, "and can enhance, rather than inhibit, internal operational processes."
While the Surpluss team aims to reach 50,000 companies in the UAE by the end of 2024, its members have, so far, generated more than US$2 million through exchanges on its platform. "Our sector-agnostic approach makes us unique to our competitors, because it allows for both vertical and horizontal integration of our simple web app that is accessible to smaller suppliers, customers, and internally within an organization, transcending management boundaries," Hajirasouli explains. "Previously, such platforms focused on a production-first approach, taking up time and effort of research and development teams, which slowed progress to commercial viability of procuring or selling locally. Our platform is easier to master compared to complex software as a service (SaaS) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, integrates seamlessly with company operations, and closes the inefficiency gap, allowing companies to grow efficiently with minimal emissions."
The Surpluss' solution is also not limited to any one vertical, which helps avoid liquidity problems and stagnant materials. "Additionally, our no-commission model results in a low churn rate of 4%, and our science-based approach ensures organizational compatibility within geographically close companies," Hajirasouli adds. "We offer affordable annual memberships with subsidized pricing models that provide return on investment within three weeks. While competitors have reached 4,000 users in nine years, we have exceeded this within the first year through strategic partnerships to secure critical mass."
Of course, such results didn't come easy—The Surpluss has had plenty of hurdles along the way. "One of the challenges we face is a lack of interest in sustainability and the misconception that it is a high capital expenditure undertaking," Hajirasouli shares. "Another significant challenge is the slow response from the major market players, which can delay progress due to decentralization of decision-making processes." It is therefore Hajirasouli's hope that taking part in the Mega Green Accelerator program will offset these obstacles. "We expect that the program will provide us with mentorship, access to key decision makers within their partnership network, and exposure to the right stakeholders, helping us overcome these challenges and scale our impact," Hajirasouli adds. "We appreciate that this is an accelerator specifically designed to solve big industry challenges, giving us an opportunity to learn and shift our focus where it matters to solve actual industry challenges, with profit in mind."
Looking to the future, she aims to continue to focus on growth for The Surpluss through relevant partnerships while also enhancing the platform's features. "By 2025, we aim to enter new markets beyond the GCC region, and establish strategic partnerships with key industry players for our product expansion plans to service new industry verticals, such as banking," Hajirasouli concludes.
Related: Making Change Happen: Why Partnerships With Purpose Are The Way Forward
'TREP TALK Surpluss founder Rana Hajirasouli shares her tips for entrepreneurs in the sustainability domain
Love the problem you're solving "Don't get hung up on the solution, but love the problem. It will help avoid the valley of death, and find a solution that works for the key customers in mind."
Always be open to be coached "Startups face multiple externalities, such as economic conditions, regulatory changes, and if the startup teams are not agile to respond quickly and be eager to learn, it can result in premature failure."
Invest in your team "The founding team is a make or break, and the pace of this startup life is not for everyone. Invest in upskilling, and prioritize attitude over skills, because skills can be learned; attitude cannot."
