By Anjani Kumar, Senior Journalist
Nūl Global Technologies, launched with $500,000 from Wavemaker Impact, uses AI to curb fashion overproduction, aiming to cut waste and emissions for brands worldwide.
Wavemaker Impact, a Southeast Asian climate tech venture builder, launched Nūl Global Technologies in Singapore on March 17, 2025, with a $500,000 pre-seed investment to tackle fashion industry overproduction. Co-founded by Malini Kannan and Raghav M.S., Nūl uses AI to optimize demand forecasting and inventory management, reducing waste and emissions for apparel brands.
Nūl’s AI-Driven Solution
Nūl’s platform integrates agentic AI with fashion brands’ operations to forecast demand accurately, plan production, and optimize inventory across sizes, styles, and locations. By transforming data into actionable insights, it minimizes overproduction, which accounts for 30% of unsold apparel globally, costing brands 7–10% of revenue. The platform supports merchandising and allocation teams, continuously learning to enhance decision-making.
Pilot projects in Southeast Asia with medium-sized apparel brands demonstrate Nūl’s impact. One trial achieved a 10% revenue uplift by redistributing end-of-season inventory to high-demand stores, reducing stockouts and markdowns. Nūl’s technology also cut overproduction-related emissions by an estimated 7,500 tCO2e per brand annually.
Fashion Industry’s Environmental Challenge
The global fashion industry, valued at $2.1 trillion in 2024, generates 6–10% of global carbon emissions, with a single garment emitting up to 6 kg of CO2 during production. Overproduction leads to 20–30% of stock going unsold, resulting in landfill waste or energy-intensive recycling. Long lead times—averaging 120 days versus 45-day trend cycles—exacerbate the issue, causing revenue losses and environmental harm.
Nūl addresses these challenges by enabling brands to align production with real-time demand, boosting sell-through rates by up to 50%. “Overproduction is detrimental to business and the environment,” said Malini Kannan, Nūl’s CEO. “Our AI platform bridges gaps in legacy supply chains, making sustainability profitable”.
Wavemaker Impact’s Investment
Wavemaker Impact, known for backing climate tech ventures like SolarHome and Planted Solar, invested $500,000 to support Nūl’s pilot expansion and global commercialization. Marie Cheong, Founding Partner, stated, “Nūl’s data-driven approach can transform medium-sized brands, improving profitability while avoiding significant emissions”. The investment will enhance Nūl’s Southeast Asian trials and forge partnerships with global retailers.
Leadership and Vision
Co-founder Raghav M.S., Nūl’s CTO, emphasized the platform’s uniqueness: “Nūl integrates advanced decision science with AI tailored for fashion, enabling seamless operational integration”. Kannan and Raghav, with expertise in technology and supply chain management, aim to scale Nūl’s solution to address the $200 billion in annual losses from fashion overproduction.
Future Plans
Nūl plans to expand pilots to India and Europe by 2026, targeting brands with $10–100 million in revenue. The startup is developing predictive models for micro-trends, leveraging social media data to further refine demand forecasts. India, with its $45 billion textile export market, is a key focus due to its environmental challenges, including 1.5 million tonnes of annual textile waste.
