Introducing Turkish start-ups: Evreka, a SaaS waste management platform

In addition to waste management, the start-up also helps the cities to become sustainable and smart

Evreka is a SaaS-based waste management platform and aims to improve waste management, city cleaning, and the overall quality of smart cities all over the world. “On the first day that we endeavored to change the future of this industry, we ran after a garbage truck at midnight as we realized the routes of garbage trucks are inefficient and there is room for improvement to optimize the entire process,” explained Umutcan Duman, Co-founder and CEO at Evreka. Currently, Evreka is active more than 40 countries, ranging from Canada to Singapore. The company is also running projects and local partners in those countries as well. “There is a great interest in our solutions at LATAM and in Europe, we are planning to set up a local organization there, we meet with key people of the sector,” added Duman. I interviewed Umutcan Duman and here’s what he told me.  

What is Evreka? Can you tell me the story of Evreka?
 
Evreka is a rapidly-growing enterprise that provides intelligent ERP solutions to improve waste management, city cleaning, and the overall quality of smart cities all over the world. We basically deliver service through integrated solutions designed and produced with cutting-edge technology.  
 
Generally speaking, the story of Evreka is actually a complete “lean startup” story. Berkay Akçora, Mert Barutçu, Mehmet Pancaroğlu and I are the four entrepreneurs aiming to create technology for efficiency and sustainability. Beginning with the establishment of Evreka, as the co-founders of Evreka, we strive to engage in advanced technology, form brand-new industrial trends, and break fresh ground for waste management worldwide.
 
On the first day that we endeavored to change the future of this industry, we ran after a garbage truck at midnight as we realized the routes of garbage trucks are inefficient and there is room for improvement to optimize the entire process. Following, we talked to the people who collected the garbage. When we contacted drivers, employees, and municipal officials, we got a deep understanding of the significance of poor performance and inefficiency in waste management. After that, we developed our solutions by constantly receiving feedback from our customers and sharing precious know-how with EvrekaCrew.
 
What is Evreka’s business model?
 
Our business model is classified as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) that provides a subscription service. Besides, it is essential to indicate that Evreka’s service is defined as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) concentrated on waste management.
After opting for a module, our customers pay the monthly service fee per vehicle or client so that they do not have to make a vast amount of investments and do not adhere to the burden of on-premise. Thereby, Evreka’s customers feel certain to use current and highly innovative solutions.
 
In how many countries is Evreka available? Are you planning further expansion?

Now we are in more than 40 countries. We work all over the world from Canada to Singapore, from Norway to the Republic of South Africa. We have active projects and local partners in these countries. We are particularly strong in MENA and we handle it very well. We now want to scale our success stories and capture similar success stories in new markets. In addition to these, we want to expand the success we have achieved in Singapore. There is a great interest in our solutions at LATAM and in Europe, we are planning to set up a local organization there, we meet with key people of the sector. We are considering new investments for this.

How is the local and global competition in the waste management area?
 
I consider the local market blue ocean as there are no substitutes providing comprehensive, digitized, and integrated solutions that Evreka already offers for its clients. We’ve brought a new perspective to waste management with a vision focused on advanced technology and optimization of both resources and operations. That is why we have become a pioneer and created our own lane in the local market.
 
On the other side, the global waste management market has a significant growth rate bringing along high rivalry. Today, we encounter different solutions designed and developed in industrialized and emerging countries. Again, Evreka is in a leading position worldwide with its unique ERP solutions and rapidly strengthens global competitive advantages to keep its place among industry leaders. Despite taking this competition to heart, we give particular attention to opportunities for industrial improvement, specifically derived from the collaboration of players in the industry. In a general sense, we have competitors resolving different aspects of different challenges. Here, the thing is that Evreka not only develops solutions for the same challenges but also works in collaboration with the competitors by forming a business partnership with them.

Umutcan Duman
 
So far you raised two rounds of investments. How are you using those investments? Are you planning future investments?
 
For achieving hyper-growth, investments are essential. Currently, the investments are used to develop the most comprehensive and effective products and solutions offered in the waste management industry. Today, we see huge potential and intend to seize new opportunities for rapid expansion. For a startup, investments are valuable in terms of purchasing the time and speeding up the achievement of the opportunities. Therefore, we are about to close a series A.
 
 I noticed you provide a ROI calculator as a service. How does it work?
 
Yes, we provide a free tool on our website to calculate the return on potential investments. It is another innovation that emanated from Evreka’s visionary attempts because we introduced the ROI Calculator to the entire industry. This digital tool enables businesses operating in waste management to evaluate different investment opportunities and make the best investment decision accordingly. Basically, any organization considering an investment for operational excellence can utilize this tool and conduct a cost-benefit analysis effortlessly. Our objective here is to provide businesses with a chance to ensure a remarkable increase in profitability following the investment.
 
How did COVID-19 affect your business?
 
The COVID effect should be evaluated by taking the operational differences into account. First, it’s essential to mention the classifications of the waste management business. Broadly speaking, it is grouped as commercial waste and municipal solid waste. In the pandemic, the municipal solid waste side has increased significantly, but we have observed serious slowdowns in the commercial side. The closure of shopping malls on the commercial side, a decrease in the capacity of factories, and a slowdown in constructions explain the decline in the commercial waste market size. Since our solutions cope with the challenges in all sorts of waste management, we have experienced balanced growth. 

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