Maxim Haartsen, The Surplus Marketplace How eJaby Is Turning Overstock Into Opportunity
By Natalia Davis
Culinary culture and premium food consumption are deeply intertwined with lifestyle and identity, food waste remains an often-overlooked challenge. Every year, billions of dirhams worth of perishable products are discarded, either because they fail to find buyers in time or fall short of retail standards. Yet, amidst this challenge, innovation is quietly reshaping the way surplus inventory is handled, offering solutions that are as sustainable as they are commercially viable. At the forefront of this transformation is Maxim, the founder of eJaby, a UAE-based supply chain e-commerce platform that has reimagined overstock management, bridging technology, sustainability, and consumer access in a way previously unseen in the Middle East.
Maxim recalls that eJaby began as a simple but profound inquiry: what happens to surplus inventory that cannot be sold through traditional channels, and how could technology intervene? “First we identified the problem and researched the magnitude of it,” Maxim explains. “Then we checked existing solutions to find out how tech potentially could play an important role. After profound research, we connected various revenue models in relation to our tech solution, as well as its scalability.”
The approach was methodical. Unlike conventional startups that chase market trends, Maxim and his team began with a deep dive into the practical realities of supply chains in the UAE and beyond. From warehouses to wholesalers, they observed a troubling pattern: overstocked goods either ended up being sold at extremely low prices, effectively a write-off, or, worse, discarded in landfills, often incurring additional fines.
A fortunate minority of middlemen would intervene, negotiating prices on distressed sales, but these were ad hoc solutions with limited reach and sustainability. “Existing solutions are mostly brick-and-mortar and short-term,” Maxim explains. “I call them the two ‘D’s: dumping financially or dumping physically. Both are wasteful and lack a structured approach. eJaby is the first supply chain e-commerce platform tackling this problem with a longer-term outlook. We are using technology to unlock these products to a much wider audience, offering direct benefits in affordability, and setting up the marketplace for rapid scaling.”
eJaby’s model hinges on leveraging technology not just for distribution but for intelligent inventory management. The platform integrates AI automation tools to connect suppliers’ inventory systems with dynamic pricing algorithms, ensuring that surplus goods reach consumers efficiently without cannibalizing regular retail sales.
When asked about concerns over selling discounted products potentially impacting suppliers’ standard operations, Maxim clarified, “Overstock exists because these items cannot be sold through normal channels. By offering them at a lower price point, we are providing a limited, premium-quality promotion, unique, scarce, and not repeated frequently. It does not compete with regular sales.” The concept is simple but elegant: turn dormant inventory into opportunity. By doing so, eJaby not only reduces waste but also creates value for both suppliers and consumers.
Current success stories on the platform include premium beef products that typically cater to hotels and restaurants, now accessible to everyday consumers, and organic grocery items, which have long struggled with short shelf lives in traditional retail formats.
What makes eJaby truly innovative, however, is its technology backbone. “We are using various generative AI tools, predominantly for in-app automation of product management, pricing, and consumer convenience. Our roadmap involves creating a direct impact on the supplier side as well,” Maxim shares. The implications are profound. By automating pricing and inventory suggestions, eJaby reduces the cognitive load on suppliers, accelerates sales cycles, and ensures that products with shorter shelf lives are sold in time, creating a win-win scenario across the board.
The potential for replication is substantial. While eJaby has focused on food and beverages, Maxim believes the model could apply to almost any industry where overstock is a problem, from electronics to fashion, from pharmaceuticals to household goods. “The problem of overstock exists everywhere trading takes place,” he notes. The startup is already exploring verticals beyond F&B, demonstrating an ambition to scale both locally and internationally.
Convincing suppliers to embrace this new online model has not been without challenges. Beyond technological adaptation, the more significant hurdles are human habits and behavioral resistance. Many businesses remain accustomed to traditional selling methods and are wary of online channels for surplus goods. Maxim addresses this through education and by showcasing the economic and ecological benefits of the platform, gradually shifting perceptions toward a more data-driven, sustainable approach to inventory management.
The company’s alignment with the UAE’s broader sustainability goals has been a natural advantage. eJaby contributes to the country’s Vision 2030, which aims to cut food waste by 50% over the next decade. As active participants in the Ne’ma initiative led by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change & Environment, Maxim and his team see their role as both commercial innovators and social contributors. “We are solving a real problem that benefits society while maintaining a for-profit focus,” he says. The dual impact, economic and environmental, is increasingly rare among startups, making eJaby a standout example of purposeful entrepreneurship.
Building eJaby has also reshaped Maxim’s personal perspective on efficiency, surplus, and consumer behavior. As he reflects, “As a startup founder, you are always ‘on,’ and being so invested in your business has a direct impact on how you look at the world. It still cringes when we see perfectly edible food being thrown away at hypermarkets or in the fresh section, knowing that these products will go to waste.” The insight is both human and business-oriented: waste is not only ethically troubling but economically inefficient, and addressing it requires systemic, tech-driven solutions.
Looking ahead, Maxim’s vision for eJaby is clear: to build a secondary market infrastructure on existing supply chains. By leveraging a ‘light asset’ model, the company can expand efficiently into new markets without heavy capital investment. The plan is to replicate the success of its UAE platform internationally, offering businesses worldwide a smarter, more profitable, and sustainable way to manage overstock.
This vision is grounded in practicality as much as ambition. By creating a robust secondary market, eJaby provides an alternative pathway for goods that would otherwise be wasted. It also challenges traditional supply chain models, encouraging businesses to rethink inventory strategies, adopt more dynamic pricing, and integrate AI-based management tools. If successful, the platform could fundamentally alter the economics of surplus, transforming it from a liability into a revenue-generating asset.
The story of eJaby is, at its core, a story of innovation meeting necessity. It illustrates how observing gaps in existing systems, paired with careful research and technological deployment, can yield solutions that are simultaneously profitable, sustainable, and socially impactful. In an era where e-commerce continues to evolve at breakneck speed, platforms like eJaby demonstrate that there is more to digital marketplaces than convenience, they can be tools for efficiency, equity, and ecological responsibility.
Equally compelling is the human element embedded in the platform. For consumers, eJaby offers access to premium products at more affordable prices, creating new consumption opportunities without compromising quality. For suppliers, it provides a structured mechanism to monetize excess inventory while safeguarding brand integrity and profit margins. And for the environment, it represents a tangible step toward reducing waste and promoting circular economy principles. In many ways, eJaby exemplifies a new breed of startups that are profit-driven yet conscientious, demonstrating that commercial success and social responsibility are not mutually exclusive.
The journey of eJaby also highlights a broader trend in the UAE’s startup ecosystem: a shift toward problem-solving entrepreneurship. While many startups chase novelty for novelty’s sake, Maxim’s approach is rooted in addressing a clearly defined pain point with measurable impact. This methodical, research-backed strategy has resonated with investors, partners, and regulators alike, signaling that sustainable growth is increasingly valued over rapid, unsustainable expansion.
As the company prepares to scale, the roadmap is ambitious but focused. Leveraging AI-driven predictive analytics, dynamic pricing, and automated inventory management, eJaby is creating a model that could one day standardize how surplus is handled globally. If the UAE platform is any indication, this is not just a technological innovation; it is a paradigm shift in supply chain economics.
eJaby stands as a testament to the transformative power of technology applied to practical problems. By identifying inefficiencies, designing scalable solutions, and aligning profit motives with social and environmental benefits, Maxim and his team are rewriting the rules of overstock management. From warehouses to dinner tables, the impact is tangible, measurable, and inspiring. Five years from now, Maxim envisions eJaby not only as a dominant player in the UAE but as a global reference point for secondary market infrastructure, a model where surplus no longer equates to waste, but opportunity.
In the world of e-commerce and supply chain management, eJaby is proving that sustainability and profitability are not just compatible, they are mutually reinforcing. And in a society increasingly aware of environmental footprints and resource efficiency, this is not just good business; it is visionary leadership.
