Coffee with: EnterpriseAM sat down with Founder and CEO Mohammed Azhar (LinkedIn) of Hyderabad-based BioReform, which claims to have engineered an alternative for single-use plastic — a proprietary biopolymer that mimics plastic’s utility but breaks down into compost. After replacing some 15 mn single-use bags and hitting eight-figure revenues (INR) in India, Azhar is using the UAE-India CEPA Council’s startup program to find a footing in the Gulf. Under its Start Up series initiative, the council selected five leading startups from 20k applications, providing them with a soft landing package to set up their businesses in the UAE and beyond.

Below are edited excerpts from our interview.

EnterpriseAM: Could you tell us a little about BioReform? What do you do, and how do you tackle this plastic pollution challenge?

Mohammed Azhar: With BioReform, we are solving one of the biggest global problems: plastic pollution. Cloth is expensive for small and medium-scale businesses, and paper is less durable — a single drop of water can destroy it. The world needed a third alternative, and that is what BioReform manufactures.

We make bags and other products out of biopolymers and natural materials that would otherwise just be burned in a landfill. We utilize those waste materials to create pellets, which are then used to make end products. We produce takeaway bags for restaurants, garbage bags, biomedical bags for hospitals, and 100% food-grade packaging materials. We also developed India’s first eco-friendly milk packaging, which is fully compliant with European standards, as well as non-adhesive barricading tapes for the agriculture industry.

EnterpriseAM: You mentioned biopolymer — is it your proprietary product? And what differentiates you from the competition?

MA: Yes, the biopolymer is our proprietary mix. We source different materials, from starch to PLA, PBAT, and other bio-based polymers. We also have our own in-house formula to produce different end products. Our USP is that when our bags degrade, they don’t turn into microplastics — they turn into compost, which enriches the soil.

Three or four big companies are doing this, but we have our own formula. Our key differentiator is that we operate as a design studio. We can ideate, prototype, and deliver a solution within seven working days. If you come to us with a specific plastic packaging you use, we can prototype an alternative according to your specifications — whether it’s for -30°C or 100°C use cases. We merge design thinking with sustainability.

EnterpriseAM: Who are your clients? Do you have any big buyers, and are they mostly in India? What does the Gulf footprint look like?

MA: Yes, 95% of our clients are currently from India. We also have a few clients in Saudi Arabia and a few distributors in Abu Dhabi. In India, more than 60% of our clients are in the restaurant segment, where they faced issues with paper bags tearing.

We work with big names like Pista House and Advanta Life Sciences, a multinational company, helping them reduce carbon emissions at the agricultural level. We also work with luxury properties like Advanta Resorts in Goa and The Leela. However, we also serve many small and medium players, which is our target market.

Acceptability is much better in the UAE compared to Saudi Arabia, because the Emirates has a regulation banning single-use plastic. Saudi Arabia has Vision 2030, but nothing specific to single-use plastic yet. We conducted pilots with a UAE distributor to validate our product in their climatic conditions — the heat and humidity are very different from India. Luckily it went well, and we are now moving to shift operations there.

EnterpriseAM: How does the India-UAE CEPA Council or the Startup Series help your business expansion? You’ve also tied up with Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (Rakez). How has that journey been?

MA: For a startup founder, the biggest hurdle is the barrier to entry — we can prove our ability if given the ground to run on. In the Gulf, the entry barrier is high and you need to spend a significant amount just to incorporate.

That roadblock was eliminated through the UAE-India CEPA Council and through Rakez taking care of our end-to-end incorporation costs. Eliminating that cost gives us the freedom to focus on the market. Additionally, we were introduced to the UAE ecosystem, flown there with expenses covered, and introduced to stakeholders like Hub71. But the elimination of the entry barrier was the most helpful aspect.

When we visited Rakez, they showed us the plug-and-play and land acquisition models. They also offered significant subsidies — roughly 40-50% off the market price for setting up a factory. It is very lucrative. We are waiting to validate the market first, but the decision should happen in the next 9-12 months. Additionally, being in a freezone means no taxes if we import raw materials and produce locally.

EnterpriseAM: Regarding your future business plans, are you raising more capital in India or the Gulf region?

MA: I am the solo founder and CEO. I have a great team, including Rehan Uddin, our CMO, and an eight-person operations team. We had some angel investors in our pre-seed round four years ago to set up manufacturing. In those four years, we replaced 15 mn single-use plastics. Now, we are gearing up for our seed round of roughly USD 200k. We are seeing interest from angel networks and VCs in India.

In the Gulf, we have interest from two investors — businessmen in Saudi. They have soft-committed around AED 500k for when we launch a manufacturing unit there. We want to validate the market first before establishing a factory.

EnterpriseAM: How do you track the success of BioReform?

MA: We track success largely by the number of bags replaced rather than just revenue, as we focus on social impact. We have replaced over 15 mn single-use plastics. We are currently at eight-figure revenue in INR, aiming for nine figures in the next 12 months. Our goal is to replace 100 mn bags.