Reusable-goods startup Trashbusters raises pre-Series A funding

Reusable service company Trashbusters announced on the 4th that it had raised a pre-Series A round. The investment amount was not disclosed.

The round was led by Strong Ventures, with Base Investment and HYK Partners also participating.

Founded in 2019 to reduce single-use items at festivals, Trashbusters rents reusable cups to partner companies. After customers return the cups, the company collects, sanitizes and washes them, then makes them available for reuse.

After collection, Trashbusters’ reusable containers undergo a six-step washing and sterilization process designed by the company. This delivers a higher level of hygiene than single-use products and ensures consistent, reliable quality.

The founding team comprises CEO Jaewon Kwak, a former Seoul festival supervisor; CBO Anna Choi, formerly CEO of a branding design firm; and CCO Dongyeol Kwak, who leads facilities operations. The company plans to use the new funding to hire talent across roles from B2B sales to operations and enhance its services, with a focus on its smart washing plant, which is under development.

“Through our reusable alternatives, Trashbusters hopes to foster a culture of treating things with care rather than using them carelessly,” CEO Jaewon Kwak said. “We want to be a fun, engaging brand, not a stiff, serious one just because we help the environment. By building a service with strong operational and technological foundations, we aim to expand our competitive reuse business and establish ourselves as a leader in Korea’s circular economy.”

“As regulations restricting single-use products tighten worldwide and awareness of environmental issues grows in Korea, growth in this market is inevitable,” said George Cho, a senior investment manager at Strong Ventures, which led the round. “Trashbusters makes the experience fun and convenient for users and partners while actually reducing single-use waste. We invested because we believe the team can quickly

gain market share through its own R&D and infrastructure expansion.”