Living Labs

Tackling Food Waste and Scaling for Success through Enabling Strategic Partnerships

location: Singapore

This case study highlights how Living Labs, a capacity builder in Singapore, facilitated strategic partnerships and helped the growth a startup in Thailand, while also creating positive environmental and economic impacts. FoodWise, a Thai startup, developed innovative methodologies and tools to help restaurants reduce food waste generation. Their solutions proved to be highly efficient, leading to increased profitability for restaurants by 10 points within three months. However, the lack of sufficient traction hindered their ability to secure funding for scaling their operations. 

Background

FoodWise had successfully implemented their prototype in three restaurants and a large hotel in Thailand. To scale their operations, they sought funding from venture capitalists (VCs) and angel investors. However, they faced the common challenge of needing immediate financial support to proceed with production and expansion.

Approach

Recognizing the potential of FoodWise's solution, Living Labs approached the Mauritian government. They proposed integrating FoodWise's solution into a national sustainability and environmental impact program, with the aim of tackling food waste on the island, and suggested conducting a pilot project in collaboration with ten prominent hotels in Mauritius.

Implementation and impact

After winning the project, the team spent two weeks packaging the project for implementation. It took an additional three weeks for the Mauritian government to secure the necessary funding for the pilot project.

Once initiated, the project led to significant impacts:

Food Waste Reduction: The implementation of FoodWise's solution resulted in a substantial amount of food being saved from waste, leading to reduced CO2 emissions and environmental benefits.

Financial Investment: The success of the pilot project allowed FoodWise to secure investments from various sources, enabling them to expand their operations and influence.

Cost-Effective Approach: The overall project, including the pilot and implementation, required a budget of only $60,000. This demonstrated the efficacy of the living lab approach in achieving impactful outcomes with limited financial resources.

Outcomes

Publicity and Promotion: The results of the pilot project provided tangible evidence of the gains achieved through reducing food waste. This allowed the government to promote the fight against food waste in Mauritius, showcasing their commitment to sustainability.

Economic Transformation: By integrating FoodWise's solution, local businesses in Mauritius, including FoodWise itself, benefited financially from fighting food waste. This created a self-sustaining economic model, incentivizing businesses to actively reduce waste.

Investor Traction: The success of the pilot project provided FoodWise with solid traction and results, enabling them to approach investors with confidence. This facilitated further funding for scaling their operations in the Indian Ocean region and beyond.

Replication and Expansion: The positive outcomes of the pilot project attracted the attention of a large NGO focused on French-speaking countries. They expressed interest in launching similar pilots in six additional countries. Consequently, FoodWise gained traction with 35 big hotels across the entire Indian Ocean region.

Conclusion

This case study showcases the power of strategic partnerships in driving sustainable impact. By connecting the right stakeholders, leveraging local governments, and integrating innovative solutions, the startup was able to scale effectively, while creating meaningful impact.