Editor’s notes: in collaboration with Hong Kong’s Cyberport
As the year of 2024 ends, we sought insights from startups’ founders across the Southeast Asian tech landscape. These leaders reflected on their triumphs throughout the year, sharing valuable perspectives on their achievements and the challenges they overcame. Furthermore, they unveiled their ambitious aspirations, meticulously outlined their strategic plans for 2025, and offered insightful predictions on the trajectory of the tech industry in the coming year.
We talked to Louis-Alban Batard, Co-founder & CEO, Watawaste HK Ltd (a Cyberport incubatee) which develops sustainable food app – Yindii, to learn more about the company’s achievements in 2024, its plans and priorities in 2025. He also shared his views on the outlook of the tech ecosystem in Hong Kong for the new year and how he sees Southeast Asia.
Yindii said its mission is to help food businesses in Asia thrive to become more profitable by embracing sustainability through food waste reduction. Its food surplus app connects a community of eco-friendly businesses and consumers with a strong win-win model. Businesses make revenues instead of losses, get discovered by new customers and grow long-lasting relationship. Conscious consumers can enjoy quality food at affordable prices while discovering new brand and food.
How was your start-up in the year 2024?
2024 has been a transformative year for Yindii. We significantly expanded our anti-food waste footprint across Southeast Asia, strengthening our presence from Thailand and Hong Kong to Singapore—marking a major successful milestone for the company as we’ve hit 130,000 registered users in six months. Our financial impact tripled compared to 2023 and the company reached the breakeven point, reflecting the growing momentum of the business model behind our mission.
In Hong Kong, we welcomed major partners committed to fighting food waste, including Hana Musubi, St. Honoré, Maison Kayser, Pirata Group and Delifrance—industry leaders now championing sustainable practices. Our mission to turn surplus food into opportunity continues to resonate with communities, retailers, and hospitality groups alike. Cyberport Accelerator’s support has been instrumental in this journey, enabling us to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs, investors, and tech resources that fueled our growth and success this year.
What are your expectations/aspirations for 2025?
2025 is set to be a game-changing year as we expand partnerships with major F&B groups, aiming to surpass 1,000 partner outlets across Hong Kong and targets the rescue over half a million meals from going to waste. Key partners like St. Honoré, Pacific Coffee, Maison Kayser, Circle K, and more will play a central role in achieving this milestone. We’re equally focused on investing in our technology, enhancing the Yindii platform with more seamless, data-driven solutions for surplus management. Our goal remains clear: to solidify Yindii as the number one food surplus platform in Asia.
What are the plans and focus in the new year?
In 2025, our focus will center around three key areas. First, continue to invest in technology we want to deploy our AI-powered surplus management system to help partners better anticipate end-of-day surplus and optimize inventory, as well as dynamic pricing for our user app will ensure that deals get even more attractive, and no delicious and edible food goes to waste. Second, we will continue exploring opportunities for market expansion, building on our success in existing regions. Third, we are organizing the “Yindii Award“ Ceremony to reward the pioneering sustainable food brands tackling food waste, to generate more and more echoes in the industry and finally make Yindii model a standard practice.
How is the outlook for 2025 for the tech ecosystem in Hong Kong? What’s your view about Southeast Asia?
The outlook for Hong Kong’s tech ecosystem in 2025 is highly-promising, with growing support for green and social-impact startups. Cyberport continues to lead the way, fostering innovation and cross-border collaboration while positioning the city as a hub for sustainability-driven tech solutions.
For Yindii, we are now at an exciting inflection point. We’ve established ourselves as a leading player in the surplus food space, and 2025 will be about strengthening that position. It’s time for us to raise a larger funding round, expand our technology, and conquer new geographies across Asia. The potential across Southeast Asia is immense, with increasing consumer awareness and government-driven sustainability initiatives.