Climate Technology Startup Humble Scores Funding From Gobi-Core PH Fund

Climate technology startup Humble Sustainability is set to scale up its advocacy of reducing electronic waste after securing additional funding from Asia-focused venture capital firm Gobi Partners. The amount, however, was not specified in the new release.

The funding, made possible by Gobi-Core Philippine Fund (Gobi-Core), follows Humble’s oversubscribed seed round led by alternative investment platform Seedstars International Ventures in late 2022. Among other investors in the latest round were the state-owned National Development Company (NDC) through the Startup Venture Fund; investment company Double River Impact; and holding firm Equitrust Holdings, Inc.

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Humble, a startup headquartered in Metro Manila, promotes a circular economy by helping businesses earn money upon selling old and used computer and information technology (IT) equipment. The company, likewise, paves the way for its clients to reach their environment, social, and governance goals by providing them with data-driven reports and analytics, among others.

The rise of circular economy initiatives—or those aimed at producing zero waste through reusing, reducing, and recycling all sorts of materials and resources—comes as Asia is known to contribute to almost half the electronic waste globally. Humble, for its part, prides itself as the leading climate technology company in the Philippines, with the goal of bringing back one billion items into circularity by 2030.

“We’re so passionate and driven to help the environment in a significant and tangible way, and we won’t stop until we achieve our mission to use business in inspiring humanity to adapt to circular living,” Josef Werker, chief executive officer and co-founder of Humble, said.

"I was born and raised in the Philippines, where my childhood experiences of thrifting filled me with joy and instilled an early awareness of the value of repurposed items,” Niña Opida, chief operating officer and co-founder of Humble, added. “My goal is to address challenges creatively, sustainably, and meaningfully. By connecting my personal experiences and observations with my passions, I am driven to foster a culture of circular living."

Through its partnerships with more than 75 companies and business-to-business (B2B) clients, Humble has so far diverted over 250,000 kilograms of e-waste from landfills. These are equivalent to about 116,279 laptops; 6,250 residential split-type air-conditioning units; or 185 Honda Civic vehicles.

"We're delighted to back Humble's mission and growth locally and globally, contributing to the circular economy's expansion,” Jason Gaisano, co-founder and managing partner at Gobi-Core Philippine Fund, said.