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PhD students and brothers Sulieman and Saif Alramahi won the STEAM Hatchery competition with their idea of a food donation app aimed at tackling food insecurity and reducing the stigma that people can feel when visiting food banks.
STEAM Hatchery offers students and graduates the opportunity to earn part of a £15,000 prize fund – as well as access to expert support and facilities – to launch their own business. The prize fund was provided by Santander.
This summer, around 100 students were welcomed onto this year's STEAM Hatchery Programme, which aims to act as a springboard, helping students develop core enterprise skills and become the entrepreneurs of the future.
Sulieman and Saif Alramahi won this year's competition with their business idea, which aims to tackle food insecurity and reduce the stigma around visiting food banks. They will be developing a Deliveroo-style app called Sharedish which will allow donors to buy meals at restaurants which will be matched to people in need, who can then collect the meal via a bar code at the restaurant.
"We noticed that while there is an abundance of food, many people still go hungry due to various barriers such as stigma when visiting food banks. Our goal was to bridge this gap by creating a platform that not only provides access to donations and free meals through restaurants but also fosters a sense of community and dignity. We believe that everyone deserves to eat well without feeling ashamed, and Sharedish is our way of making that vision a reality."
Sulieman and Saif added: "In the next five years, we hope to significantly reduce food insecurity in the UK by expanding our reach and partnerships. Our goal is to have Sharedish available in every major city, providing thousands of free meals daily. We also aim to raise awareness and change perceptions around food insecurity, making it a topic that is openly discussed and addressed. Ultimately, we want to create a sustainable model that can be replicated in other countries, helping to end hunger globally."
Pictured: Hatchery Programme winners Sulieman and Saif Alramahi with Director - Careers and Employability Julie Stonall and Enterprise Manager- Jennine Jones