Egypt-based used cooking oil recycler Tagaddod raised USD 26.3 mn in a series A funding round led by The Arab Energy Fund, according to a statement (pdf) from the Cairo-born startup. The round also saw participation from Dutch-entrepreneurial development bank FMO, pan-African VC VKAV, and MENA-based VC A15.

The funding will support Tagaddod’s regional expansion across new markets, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and key European markets, as well as specific Asian and African markets, “as part of the first wave of expansion following the funding round,” Chief Business Officer Mahmoud Hossam El Din told EnterpriseAM.

The funding will also go toward enhancing the firm’s AI-powered tech stack to enable reliable sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply chain. Tagaddod’s tech platform “uniquely solves the feedstock bottleneck, enabling reliable supply amid rising demand for SAF and renewable diesel,” Hossam El Din said. By leveraging AI to optimize collection, logistics, and forecasting, Tagaddod achieves faster, cheaper, and more reliable feedstock supply than its competitors, he told us.

The startup aims to increase its operational capacity to supply larger volumes of certified renewable feedstocks, such as used cooking oil, acid oils, and animal fats. It will do this by expanding its collection hubs, increasing its storage in key markets, strengthening logistics to handle all feedstock formats, and leveraging tech for real-time optimization. “At the same time, we’re standardizing quality, embedding sustainability, and building strong teams and partnerships to support growth,” Hossam El Din said.

“Egypt and the region are at an inflection point,” Hossam El Din told us. Egypt consumes over 2.2 mn tons of vegetable oil annually and still holds considerable untapped potential for used cooking oil collection, while Saudi Arabia is rapidly progressing in implementing circular economy initiatives, he added. “Together, these markets can become key global supply engines for SAF and biofuels.”

“This is more than just a funding milestone — it’s a strategic partnership that empowers us to take bold steps toward building the infrastructure, technology, and supply chains needed to support a cleaner energy future,” CEO Nour El Assal said.

What’s next? “We want Tagaddod to be the partner that solves the renewable feedstock bottleneck in MENA and beyond, scaling structured collection and connecting it seamlessly to global SAF and biofuel demand,” Hossam El Din told us.

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