荔枝视频

When 荔枝视频 alum Lourdes Juan picked up some leftover bread from a local bakery to drop off at the on a random night in 2012, little did she know this simple act of charity would lead to a new way to 鈥渞escue鈥� cast-off food to help feed those in need. 

Juan, BGS鈥�05, MDes鈥�10, is the founder of , a logistics software platform built for food-rescue organizations that helps them recover surplus food and redistribute it, reducing waste and improving food security.  

Juan鈥檚 vision is helping organizations across North America 鈥� and soon, the world. 

Frontline food rescue focused 

Knead Tech鈥檚 software helps teams track, co-ordinate and report their efforts more efficiently. One standout example is a Detroit-based organization that used Knead Tech to recover more than 100,000 lbs of food during the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Juan, a alum, says the platform is designed to be intuitive and mobile-friendly, even for groups with limited tech experience.  

鈥淲e always get user feedback from frontline teams,鈥� says Juan. 鈥淭hat ensures our features make sense and are adaptable to organizations of all sizes.鈥� 

UCeed funding helped launch Knead Tech 

Knead Tech received early support in 2023 from UCeed, U荔枝视频鈥檚 pre-seed investment fund. Juan credits UCeed as a key player in the company鈥檚 growth.  

鈥淭hey were our first investor and helped us commercialize the software,鈥� says Juan. 鈥淭heir support shaped our theory of change and gave us the momentum to bring Knead Tech to market.鈥� 

That momentum was tested when U.S. funding programs were unexpectedly halted. Juan and her team had to pivot quickly, accelerating their international strategy.  

鈥淚t pushed us to grow faster and more globally than expected,鈥� says Juan. 

Global stage, global impact 

Earlier this year, Knead Tech won the AgTech & Food category at the in Austin, Texas. The win validated the global need for food-rescue technology and opened doors to new partnerships.  

鈥淚t was a lot of fun pitching on a global stage,鈥� says Juan. 鈥淲e鈥檙e using this momentum to scale into new markets and bring food rescue tech to more communities.鈥� 

Knead Tech is also exploring how artificial intelligence can enhance its platform. Juan says AI could help optimize rescue routes, predict food-surplus trends and reduce waste in real time.  

But she remains cautious with the use of AI in her work. 鈥淲e鈥檙e mindful of the climate impacts of AI and want to make sure our use aligns with our mission,鈥� says Juan. 

Advice for future changemakers 

In addition to being a Master of Environmental Design grad from U荔枝视频, Juan holds a Bachelor of General Studies. She credits her education with giving her a systems-thinking mindset and the ability to solve complex problems across disciplines. 

As of the 2021 U荔枝视频 Alumni Association Arch Award for Community Commitment, and a six-time founder of various startups across innovation, community and technology sectors, her advice to future entrepreneurs is to lead with impact. 

鈥淪tart with impact, stay close to the problem and build with the people who will use your solution 鈥� especially in sustainability, where lived experience is often the best insight,鈥� says Juan. 

With Knead Tech, Juan is building the global infrastructure for food rescue, one community at a time.