What ECGO does

ECGO (legally Conserve Innovations Inc.) is an Atlanta-based, privately held company founded in 2020 that operates a three-sided recycling platform connecting consumers, brands, and universities. At the consumer layer, the ECGO mobile app lets users photograph waste items, receive AI-powered recyclability guidance with location-specific rules, and earn points redeemable for gift cards from sponsoring brands including Uber Eats, Jeni's, Uber, Whole Foods, and Chipotle. Underlying the app is a computer-vision system that recognizes 1,000+ recyclable items and an automated rewards-delivery pipeline tied to the moment of disposal.

The company's enterprise layer, branded ECGO Insights and ECGO Touchpoints, sells post-purchase intelligence and end-of-life engagement to CPG brands. Insights provides SKU-, flavor-, and package-level analytics on what consumers actually recycle versus landfill, and is used by brand partners including RIF and LAMIK to validate sustainability claims and run full-funnel campaigns. The third distribution layer is a university channel with a dedicated admin portal, allowing campuses to publish localized recycling guidelines and track zero-waste program metrics.

Monetization is multi-stream: brand-side subscriptions or sponsorship fees for insights and rewards underwriting, plus affiliate economics on redeemed gift cards. The company has raised $120,000 from Techstars (January 2023), operates with 1-10 employees, and discloses no revenue. Its operating scope is single-country (United States), and it has begun repositioning itself as a behavioral data platform through published research such as the 2026 State of Gen-Z Consumption Report.

Name

ECGO

Legal name

Conserve Innovations Inc.

Website

https://ecgo.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ECGO (Conserve Innovations Inc.) is an Atlanta-based recycling platform that uses AI computer vision to identify 1,000+ items, rewarding consumers with brand gift cards while selling post-purchase disposal analytics and end-of-life engagement tools to CPG brands and university sustainability programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling Rewards Software

NAICS

Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Waste Audits, Diversion Tracking & ESG Reporting (On-site Data Programs) (BPABALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs (EUAIAIAA)

Keywords

• Recycling rewards platform
• AI waste identification
• Sustainability analytics
• Consumer engagement platform
• Mobile recycling app

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Brand Advertising and Insights: ECGO provides brands with recycling intelligence and customer touchpoints at the point of disposal. Brands can deliver offer codes and rewards at the moment of disposal, creating engagement before repurchase. Revenue likely comes from brand partnerships and data analytics services.
2. Rewards Program Sponsorships: Brands and restaurants (Uber Eats, Chipotle, Jeni's, Whole Foods) sponsor the rewards program, providing gift cards and discounts as rewards for users who recycle. This creates a multi-sided marketplace where brands pay for customer engagement.
3. University Partnership Programs: Universities partner with ECGO to improve campus recycling rates and track sustainability metrics. ECGO may share limited, non-personally identifiable information with partner institutions for program evaluation.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ECGO provides an AI-powered recycling rewards platform that uses computer vision to identify waste items at the point of disposal via a consumer mobile application. Brands pay ECGO to sponsor consumer rewards and to access an analytics platform (ECGO Insights) for sustainability and engagement marketing, while universities license dedicated sustainability programs for student engagement.

Product overview

ECGO operates as a dual-sided recycling rewards platform combining a consumer mobile app with enterprise analytics tools. The core ECGO App enables users to earn rewards by photographing and recycling everyday products, while the ECGO Insights platform provides brands with analytics on recycling behavior and campaign performance. The University Platform extends the ecosystem to campus waste management with AI-powered item detection (1,000+ items) and an admin portal. ECGO Touchpoints facilitates brand engagement at the point of disposal, and the ECGO Rewards Program connects users to gift cards from partner brands including Uber Eats, Jeni's, Chipotle, and Whole Foods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECGO Rewards: Rewards program allowing users to earn points for recycling everyday products, redeemable for gift cards and discounts to popular brands.
• ECGO Insights

Products and services

• ECGO App Mobile application for individual consumers (Gen-Z and Millennial users) that uses AI-powered computer vision to identify 1,000+ waste items at the point of disposal, provides location-specific recycling guidance, and lets users earn rewards from sponsoring brands for verified recycling.
• ECGO Insights SaaS analytics and brand engagement platform for consumer brands and CPG companies (including Uber Eats, Jeni's, Chipotle, Whole Foods, RIF, and LAMIK). Brands sponsor consumer recycling rewards, access sustainability engagement analytics, and place branded engagement touchpoints inside the ECGO App.
• ECGO University Platform Sustainability engagement platform for universities and college campuses that drives on-campus recycling programs and student participation, with the same AI waste-identification and rewards mechanics adapted for higher-education deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of Gen-Z still purchasing name brands in food while strategically trading to private labels for staple categories
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Uber EatscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUber Eats is a rewards partner in the ECGO program, offering gift cards as rewards that users can earn by recycling everyday products through the ECGO app.
• Jeni'scoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJeni's is a rewards partner offering gift card rewards to ECGO users who recycle, creating a mutually beneficial engagement at the point of disposal.
• UbercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUber is a rewards partner in the ECGO program, offering gift cards that users can redeem points for when they recycle products.
• Whole FoodscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWhole Foods is a rewards partner offering gift cards and discounts to ECGO users who recycle, incentivizing sustainable behavior through grocery rewards.
• ChipotlecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerChipotle is a rewards partner offering gift cards to ECGO users, providing food rewards as an incentive for recycling everyday products.
• RIF (Recycling Is Fashionable)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIF is a brand partner using ECGO's touchpoint platform to create meaningful connections with customers at the end-of-life of their products, validating sustainability claims and driving engagement.
• LAMIKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAMIK is a brand partner leveraging ECGO insights to understand real-world product usage and recycling behavior, validating sustainability and packaging claims.
• University CampusescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUniversities partner with ECGO to offer campus recycling programs. Universities can add their recycling guidelines, track student participation, and monitor waste reduction goals through an admin portal.
• MunicipalitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipalities can add their recycling guidelines to the ECGO platform, helping residents access accurate local recycling information and providing data on recycling behavior by location.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Recycle Coach: Consumer-facing recycling guidance app used by municipalities across North America. Closest direct comparable to ECGO's consumer app: localized recycling rules, photo-based identification, and city-program distribution — though without ECGO's rewards or brand-insights layer.
• ReCollect Systems: Recycling data and education platform serving haulers, municipalities, and brands with localized collection schedules and analytics. Directly comparable to ECGO on the location-aware recycling guidance + admin portal workflow, though not primarily rewards-driven.
• Earth911 (iRecycle): Consumer recycling search and education platform with the iRecycle mobile app. Comparable to ECGO in helping end users identify proper disposal, with longer history but less emphasis on rewards or brand analytics.

Broad incumbents

• TerraCycle: Established recycling and reuse platform operating national collection programs with brand sponsorship (Loop, free recycling programs). Broader incumbent offering end-to-end physical recycling logistics on top of which ECGO would compete for brand attention and consumer mind-share.
• Rubicon Technologies: Enterprise waste and recycling management platform serving haulers and municipalities with data and route optimization. Broad incumbent in the waste tech space where ECGO's smaller but consumer-facing insights layer is differentiated; Rubicon provides adjacent fleet/sustainability data infrastructure at higher price points.

Emerging players

• Too Good To Go: Consumer marketplace app that sells surplus food from restaurants and grocery at discounted prices to reduce food waste. Comparable to ECGO as a consumer rewards/engagement app sponsored by major food brands; different vertical (food waste vs. packaging recycling) but overlapping brand-sponsor economics.
• Compology: Smart container monitoring and route optimization for waste haulers using cameras + AI on dumpsters. Comparable to ECGO on the AI-camera-meets-waste-data axis; targets the B2B hauler side rather than consumer-side recycling engagement.
• Yuka: Consumer mobile app that scores packaged food and cosmetic products on health and environmental impact using barcode scanning. Comparable to ECGO as a consumer sustainability data app with a barcode/scan interaction model; adjacent category (product scoring vs. disposal tracking).

Others

• Olio: Peer-to-peer food sharing app that lets households and retailers pass surplus food to neighbors. Adjacent rather than directly competitive with ECGO; relevant to the same sustainability consumer incentive thesis and Gen-Z/millennial user demographic.
• How2Recycle: Standardized recycling label program by GreenBlue that helps CPG brands communicate disposal instructions on packaging. Adjacent ecosystem participant: addresses the same brand-to-consumer recycling guidance problem ECGO's Insights product targets, but at the packaging-design layer rather than the disposal behavior layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ecgo
• Instagraminstagram.com/recyclewithecgo
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecgo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/ecgo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecgocompany

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ECGO