– Garbaliser, a Lebanon-based agritech startup, secures a substantial $436,000 investment from Shark Tank Dubai, acquiring a 12% stake in the company.

– The investment will fuel Garbaliser’s mission to combat pollution by transforming organic waste into liquid, eco-friendly fertilizer, with proven efficacy in yielding cleaner produce compared to chemical alternatives.

– Founded by sisters Hanan and Zeinab Ismail in 2020, Garbaliser’s journey from addressing Lebanon’s garbage crisis to pioneering sustainable solutions has garnered international recognition, culminating in partnerships and investments from Shark Tank Dubai and Ground Up Capital Fund in the USA.

In a significant stride towards environmental sustainability, Lebanon-based agritech startup Garbaliser has clinched a  $436,000 investment from Shark Tank Dubai, entailing a 12 percent stake in the company, according to a company statement.

This infusion of capital is poised to propel Garbaliser’s crusade against pollution by revolutionizing organic waste into liquid, eco-friendly fertilizer. 

Garbaliser’s pioneering liquid fertilizer, backed by patents, has demonstrated its ability to yield cleaner produce and in larger quantities compared to conventional chemical alternatives. With a robust clientele base exceeding 400 in Lebanon’s Baalbek region, the startup has firmly established itself in the local market.

Buoyed by a newfound partnership in the UAE and bolstered by funding from Shark Tank Dubai, Garbaliser is now poised to extend its operations to the UAE market in 2024, with ambitious plans for further expansion into Jordan and the GCC.

Founded in 2020 by sisters Hanan and Zeinab Ismail, Garbaliser emerged from a genuine quest to address Lebanon’s escalating garbage crisis, exacerbated during the COVID-19 lockdown and the pinnacle of the Lebanese economic downturn.

The genesis of Garbaliser traces back to the sisters’ determination to tackle waste at its source – the bins of households and businesses – through the creation of a garbage disposal system facilitating waste separation. Despite encountering skepticism amid Lebanon’s political and economic upheaval, the sisters persevered.

Their journey led them to delve into organic waste collection, ultimately culminating in developing organic fertilizer from bio-waste, albeit with initial challenges regarding its applicability in large-scale agriculture due to its solid state. 

Undeterred, the sisters engineered a breakthrough, transforming organic waste into a liquid fertilizer compatible with irrigation systems, thereby optimizing its utility for farmers.

Embracing entrepreneurship, the Ismail sisters embarked on a transformative trajectory, culminating in their participation in Jusoor’s Agriculture Small Business Accelerator in 2022. Armed with resilience and innovation, they honed their invention, transitioning from modest beginnings in their home to a 10,000-liter tank on their grandfather’s farm.

Reflecting on their journey, Hana Ismail lauds Jusoor for its Arabic-centric program, which facilitated comprehensive understanding, underscoring the importance of indigenous entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Their encounter with Reem Al-Marzouki, a like-minded innovator in Dubai, catalyzed their entry into Shark Tank Dubai, where they clinched a lucrative investment offer in December 2023.

In addition to the Shark Tank Dubai triumph, Garbaliser also secured backing from the Ground Up Capital Fund in the USA in 2023, amplifying its global footprint and fortifying its mission to combat pollution through sustainable innovation.