Dubai-based eco-friendly start-up Back to Nature in talks for funding deals

Dubai-based eco-friendly start-up Back to Nature in talks for funding deals

Back to Nature, the Dubai-based biodegradable packaging products start-up, is on a fundraising drive to scale-up its operations amid the fast rising trend towards “sustainable” living and following Abu Dhabi's move to ban single-use plastic products in the emirate.

The start-up, founded by the engineers-turned-entrepreneur sisters Ranjisha and Ranjitha Raghav, is currently seeking around AED5 million from UAE-based high-net-worth-individual (HNWI) investors. The founders said they're in advanced stage discussions with potential investors.

Plastic bottles are some of the most common and mainstream forms of plastic waste

The latest round of talks for investments comes as the start-up struck a partnership with a consortium of UAE-based professionals-turned investors earlier this year.

“Currently we are engaged in advanced discussions with some UAE national investors,” Ranjitha Raghav, co-founder and CEO of Back to Nature, told Arabian Business.

“We also have plans to approach some of the private equity (PE) investors soon to raise more investments to fund our expansion and backward integration plans being finalised now,” she said.

Ranjitha, however, declined to disclose the identity of the prospective investors because of confidentiality issues.

Ranjitha Raghav, co-founder and CEO of Back to Nature

She said the venture's backward integration plans, envisaging setting up a manufacturing facility in the UAE to produce biodegradable