Help food banks capture surplus food before it becomes waste.

Exa

Tech partner

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Help food banks capture surplus food before it becomes waste.

A third of food is wasted while food banks ration what they hand out.

Bakeries, grocers, caterers, and farms discard edible surplus daily — often willingly donatable, but the logistics of who-takes-what-when defeat everyone. Platforms like Too Good To Go and MealConnect already serve the big grocery chains; the long tail — independent bakeries, caterers, small farms — remains unconnected. Food banks can't see what's available nearby, donors don't know who accepts what, and windows of edibility close in hours.

Sep 1 26’

Challenge start

Build (31 days left)

Oct 1 26’

Deadline & Winners

What to build

Your Mission

Build an AI-powered solution that connects surplus food to food banks and community kitchens before it becomes waste.

Your solution should shrink the distance between 'we have surplus' and 'we can take it' — matching supply to organizations verified to accept it, fast enough to matter. Focus where the incumbents don't: the long tail of small donors, and the jurisdiction-specific donation and liability rules that scare them off. How you solve it is up to you. Exa gives you the verified map of donors, recipients, and rules; the rest is yours.

Start the challenge

How to build

Master the Challenge.

Scope

What Success Looks Like

There is no single right solution. You could take the problem in many directions — pick a specific user, a clear decision, and make that experience work well.

Tip:

Don't try to solve the whole problem at once. Pick a specific food category, donor type, or link in the chain, then make that experience work well.

Support:

After signing up, you’ll receive kickoff instructions and access to the Discord for Q&A.

Requirements

Technical Challenge

Think about how your solution will map potential donors and recipient organizations in an area, verify what each recipient accepts and their food-safety requirements, match time-limited surplus to takers fast, and navigate donation rules and liability protections that differ by place. These are opportunities to explore, not requirements you need to satisfy all at once.

Tip:

Your solution doesn’t need to be production-ready. We welcome everything from early prototypes to fully working implementations and ambitious technical explorations.

Support:

After the kickoff, you’ll get access to the mentors’ chat on Discord.

Use of tech

Recommended Tools

Exa provides a web retrieval layer that might be useful here. Exa Websets can assemble verified networks of potential donors and recipient organizations — checking acceptance criteria, food-safety requirements, and hours — while the Contents API pulls the donation and liability rules for the jurisdiction, and Monitors track new programs and rule changes. Whether Exa fits your solution is up to you.

Tip:

Whether or not you use Exa in your solution is entirely up to you.

Resources:

Meet your mentors

Get a guidance from industry professionals.

Gain invaluable insights and support from seasoned experts who are passionate about driving positive change. Our mentors bring years of experience in tackling complex challenges, ready to share their knowledge and help you make a meaningful impact.

Start the challenge

Sep 1 26’

Challenge start

Build (31 days left)

Oct 1 26’

Deadline & Winners

Jury Panel

Put your solution in front of hiring managers.

Receive valuable feedback and insights from hiring managers and industry experts.

Submit your project

Community recognition

Winner

TBD

The winning project will be featured on Drawerrr’s Winners page and receive support, and exposure to take the idea further.

Community recognition

Finalists

TBD
TBD

The two finalist projects will be featured on Drawerrr’s Finalists page and receive support to continue developing their ideas.

Exa

If you choose Exa as part of your tech stack, the winner and two finalists will receive Exa.ai credits, exposure through Exa’s developer community, and technical support to help develop their projects further.

Sep 1 26’

Challenge start

Build (31 days left)

Oct 1 26’

Deadline & Winners

FAQ

Everything you need to know about participating.

Who can participate?

The challenge welcomes participants from all countries and skill levels, making it ideal for students and career switchers. Whether you're an entry-level individual with no experience or a seasoned professional seeking to broaden your expertise, this challenge suits your needs. We encourage diverse backgrounds, including scientists, designers, engineers, analysts, policy makers, community leaders, PR experts, economists, marketers, educators, and other professionals.

Is there a participation fee?

No. It's free for all participants.

How to get started?

  1. Create an account.
  2. Choose a challenge you would like to work on.
  3. Follow guides to solve the problem (solo or in a team).
  4. Submit your solution.
  5. Get the feedback from sustainability experts and results at the beginning of the each month.

Is there any deadlines?

You can submit your case at any point. The challenge results will be announced in the first few days of each month on the winners' page.

Can I participate as part of a team?

Yes, participants can submit the case as a team. There is no maximum number of team members, but we recommend up to five members.

How to obtain assistance from mentors?

You can find available mentors under the Connect page in your account. Mentor help is optional and not required to participate in the challenge.

Who will be evaluating submissions?

Submissions will be evaluated by the Jury panel, which will assess cases based on Innovation, quality of work and potential Impact.

Are there any awards for the winners?

The best cases will be published on the winners' page, and the team will receive prizes from our sponsors.

Can participants apply multiple times?

Yes, participants can submit multiple cases, either solo or as part of a team.

What happens after the challenge?

All participants maintain access to community chats, mentors, and network.

After challenge

Take it to the next level.

The Challenge graduates get the opportunity to connect with grant providers and organizations looking to pilot projects and take them to the next level.

Get started

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