Ventures
Understanding a problem is only the beginning. Building a solution is what creates change.
By the numbers, so far
1,000+
Meals rescued
5,000+
Lives nourished
150+
Volunteers
28+
Restaurant partners
13+
NGO partners
2
Countries
Venture I · Bridging Food Wastage and Food Insecurity
Food Connect
Connecting Surplus to Smiles
The idea for Food Connect began one monsoon evening in Mumbai. After dinner, Riya watched trays of untouched food being thrown away while, just a few feet away, migrant workers shared a simple meal under a plastic sheet in the rain. The contrast stayed with her. It wasn’t a story of scarcity—it was a failure of connection. Seeing similar patterns in Singapore later reinforced one conviction: the problem wasn’t a lack of food, but the lack of a system connecting surplus with need.
Step 01
Restaurant lists surplus
Restaurants log available food by type, quantity, and expiry window directly through the platform.
Step 02
Platform matches
Food Connect identifies the closest verified NGO partner and flags the pickup in real time.
Step 03
NGO collects
Partners claim and coordinate collection through the platform. No calls, no spreadsheets, no wasted trips.
More from Food Connect
Venture II · Digital Inclusion for Seniors
Senior Connect
Teaching seniors the language of the internet, one smartphone at a time.
Senior Connect began with a simple observation. Riya’s grandmother couldn’t video-call her family not because she lacked a smartphone, but because no one had ever shown her how to use it. That experience revealed a much broader challenge: digital exclusion is often caused not by the absence of technology, but by the absence of guidance and confidence. In 2024, Riya co-founded Senior Connect with a student partner in India to help seniors build the digital skills they need to stay connected, independent, and engaged with the people and services that matter most.
Senior Connect delivers structured digital literacy workshops across community centres and senior living homes in India and Singapore, empowering older adults to navigate everyday technology with confidence. To scale the initiative, Riya has built and trained a volunteer network of students, creating a sustainable, community-led model for digital inclusion.
More from Senior Connect