Sachin Tendulkar Backs Waste Management Startup Recykal

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has joined the cap table of Hyderabad-based cleantech startup Recykal. The startup did not disclose the size of the investment.

In a statement, Recykal said that Tendulkar infused the capital during the extension of the startup’s recently closed $23 Mn bridge round.

Back in June, the clean tech startup had raised $17.6 Mn in equity funding. The round also comprised an additional secondary component worth $5.4 Mn, which saw participation from existing backers and family offices. 

“What drew me to Recykal was seeing how technology was being used to solve an everyday problem. Recykal’s mission to use technology to drive behavioural change across 1 Bn people is what really connected with me, and I hope together we can encourage more people to make responsible choices every day,” said Tendulkar in a statement. 

Founded in 2016 by Abhay Deshpande, Abhishek Deshpande, Ekta Narain, Vikram Prabakar and Anirudha Jalan, Recykal operates a B2B marketplace for recyclable materials. It also provides software solutions to help brands track plastic and e-waste recycling to meet compliance mandates. 

The startup also recently launched a deposit return system (DRS), a reverse vending machine service for recovering consumer packaging. Under DRS, consumers pay a refundable deposit on containers at purchase and get it back when they return the container to a collection point. 

Backed by the likes of Morgan Stanley, 360 ONE, Circulate Capital and the Murugappa Group, the startup has raised more than $60 Mn in funding to date. Recykal claims to operate a network of more than 5,000 waste aggregators and recyclers and claims to cater to 650 enterprise brands, including the likes of Hindustan Unilever, Samsung and BMW. 

In June this year, the startup had told Inc42 that it closed FY26 with a gross revenue of ₹1,498 Cr, up 53.2% from ₹978 Cr in the year ago fiscal. However, losses jumped 7% to ₹60 Cr compared to ₹56 Cr in FY25. 

Interestingly, Tendulkar’s investment in Recykal comes almost two weeks after he backed gaming startup Metasports Interactive, the company behind mobile cricket strategy game Hitwicket. 

Besides, the retired cricket icon has also invested in a range of other startups such as used car marketplace Spinny, listed fintech startup Kissht, and former Swiggy Instamart leader Karthik Gurumurthy’s activewear brand Ten X You. 

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