Sirsak has secured $600,000 in pre-seed funding led by Openspace Ventures, while Chickin has entered into a strategic partnership with Hong Kong-based Rainmakers Ventures and China’s LINKTA Technologies.
Openspace, The Radical Fund invest in Sirsak
Sirsak, Indonesia’s waste management startup, has secured $600,000 in pre-seed funding led by Openspace Ventures, with backing from The Radical Fund, according to the company’s statement on Wednesday.
Launched in 2023, Sirsak addresses a critical challenge in Indonesia’s waste management sector: helping FMCG brands meet their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations amid a highly fragmented ecosystem. Indonesia generates over 60 million tonnes of waste annually, with around 30-40% consisting of packaging waste.
The funding will help Sirsak develop an enhanced traceability system, research and develop low-value packaging, and expand its recycling partner network. It plans to achieve 4,000 tonnes of waste recovery and grow to 1,000 waste collection points in the coming months.
The company also aims to bring social security access to 50,000 waste workers and boost the earnings of aggregators by giving value to previously disregarded materials.
Unlike other startups in the space, Sirsak works with rather than against the informal sector—integrating traditional waste collectors, pickers, and aggregators into a formal digital system. Its PRP platform tracks the entire recovery process and distributes both financial and non-monetary incentives to stakeholders across the value chain.
“Indonesia’s packaging waste crisis demands innovative solutions that complement, rather than disrupt, existing value chains. Our PRP platform formalises the waste ecosystem by providing financial and in-kind incentives to different stakeholders, including the waste pickers, while helping brands meet EPR mandates with transparent, auditable documentation,” said Angeline Callista, CEO and co-founder of Sirsak, in a statement.
“Sirsak is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between FMCG brands and Indonesia’s informal waste sector,” Alina Truhina, managing Partner of The Radical Fund, added. “Their localised approach addresses both regulatory compliance and socioeconomic inclusion, making them a key enabler for Indonesia’s transition to circular economy practices.”
Chickin ties up with Rainmakers Ventures, LINKTA
Chickin, an Indonesian-based poultry startup, has entered into a strategic partnership with Hong Kong-based Rainmakers Ventures and China’s LINKTA Technologies to develop a pilot layer poultry farming project in Central Java. In addition, all parties have agreed to establish a joint venture and design a co-investment scheme as the foundation of this joint initiative.
The three parties signed an MoU last month to jointly launch a tech-enabled facility for egg-laying hens that targets mid-sized farmers and agribusiness operators. Chickin, which currently operates a digital broiler farm partnership network, will extend its operational model to the layer segment, offering tools such as digital credit scoring, real-time farm monitoring, and farmer engagement platforms.
“This partnership is a step towards building a more inclusive and resilient poultry ecosystem,” said Chickin CEO Tubagus Syailendra Wangsadisastra in a statement. “Our goal is to lower the barriers for independent and medium-scale producers to grow in a capital- and tech-intensive segment.”
LINKTA, a Shenzhen-headquartered IoT and smart-farm equipment provider, will contribute modular farm housing systems, automation tools, and technical infrastructure, leveraging its track record in livestock and aquaculture installations across Asia.
On the other hand, Rainmakers Ventures, an impact-focused investment and advisory firm, will act as co-investor and structuring partner, with plans to mobilise capital from financial institutions, cooperatives, and rural banks.
Rainmakers, which focuses on bottom-up urbanisation strategies in Southeast Asia, has previously advised and co-developed projects in agri-infrastructure and rural digitalisation. LINKTA, for its part, is an export-focused smart-farming equipment manufacturer that has recently expanded its presence in Southeast Asia.
The pilot project, set to launch in Central Java or another technically suitable region, will serve as a testing ground for technical and financial viability before being replicated at scale with bigger financial institutions. The parties expect to begin operations later this year, with performance monitoring and evaluation to follow.
