Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – December 15, 2024 – Wa’ed Ventures, the $500 million venture capital arm of Saudi Aramco, announced leading a $5 million Series A investment in EME, a Netherlands-based technology company specializing in high-impact, circular solutions. EME enables organizations across sectors—from urban systems to factories, infrastructure, and beyond—to transform waste into valuable resources, advancing sustainable and efficient operations at every scale.
The funding will enable EME to localize its technologies in Saudi Arabia through its partnership with Wa’ed Ventures, as well as enhance its innovative technology and expand into new markets. This growth empowers EME to accelerate its mission of driving high-impact, circular solutions across global markets, aligning with both Wa’ed’s and EME’s commitment to sustainable transformation and resource efficiency.
“Wa’ed Ventures is committed to supporting companies that are shaping the future of sustainable infrastructure. EME’s approach to circular solutions is key in fostering sustainable practices within the industry, and we are excited to partner with them to localize these solutions in the Kingdom,” said Anas Algahtani, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Wa’ed Ventures.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Wa’ed Ventures as we scale Excess Materials Exchange—a platform that doesn’t just connect resources but transforms them. Our mission is to help companies unlock high-value solutions for their waste, embedding circular principles right into the fabric of their operations. With Wa’ed’s forward-thinking support, we’re localizing our reach to power a new era of sustainable, intelligent urban systems across the Middle East and beyond,” said Christian Van Maaren, Founder and CEO of EME.
Founded in 2017, Excess Materials Exchange (EME) is a B2B platform that tracks, traces, and matches materials to unlock their full value—focusing on reuse, parts recovery, and high-value recycling. By integrating proprietary technology with IoT and AI-driven analytics, EME optimizes material flows, reduces carbon emissions, and enhances recycling efficiency in support of a circular economy. EME’s technology aims to help leading organizations, adopt circular economy principles across Saudi Arabia and the broader GCC region. This will not only create new circular economy-related jobs in the region but also establish Saudi Arabia as a hub for circular economy solutions, attracting new companies with advanced recycling and reuse capabilities
About Wa’ed Ventures
Wa’ed Ventures is a $500 million institutional venture capital firm wholly owned by Aramco to promote economic diversification and new business growth in the Kingdom by investing in high-growth tech startups across multiple sectors. Established in 2013, Wa’ed Ventures manages a portfolio of 75+ startups, providing end-to-end support to startups from funding to providing access to partner resources. The company is located in the city of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. For more information, please visit: www.waed.net
About EME
Based in the Netherlands, EME is a technology-driven waste management company specializing in sustainable solutions for urban waste disposal and recycling. Through its advanced IoT and AI technologies, EME optimizes waste management processes to reduce emissions and promote recycling, contributing to cleaner and more sustainable cities. For more information, please visit: excessmaterialsexchange.com
