Why this Calgary-based entrepreneur developed the Uber of food recovery

The challenge of food waste and food insecurity is a complex issue affecting a quarter of Canadian households. To navigate these systemic gaps, Lourdes Juan co-founded Knead Technologies, a Calgary-based software company designed to streamline operations for food rescue organizations. Driven by her personal experience with food insecurity and a spontaneous 200-pound bread pickup that inspired her first non-profit, the Leftovers Foundation, Juan recognized that managing logistics, data, and regulations was the major point of friction in the sector.

Non-profits often have limited capacity and tight funding, forcing them to use fragmented platforms to coordinate the rapid movement of perishable goods. Perishable items like meat and dairy often have strict regulatory travel time limits, such as a maximum of 20 minutes, requiring precise data collection and temperature tracking. Knead Tech solves this problem by offering a web platform for organizations to plan routes and a mobile app that allows drivers and volunteers to input real-time data.

By using AI and predictive analytics, the software empowers donors to track waste patterns and make informed inventory decisions. The platform has successfully facilitated large-scale food recovery, including rescuing 100,000 pounds of food at the 2024 NFL draft. Despite the long 18-month fundraising cycle required to find aligned social impact investors, Juan remains deeply passionate about scaling this solution to support charities and ensure fresh food reaches those who need it most.