Foodbridge
Foodbridge is a digital marketplace that connects restaurants with surplus food to nearby shelters ready for pickup, replacing manual coordination with real-time matching. The platform automates IRS-compliant donation receipts, tracks impact metrics like pounds rescued and meals served, and includes built-in food safety guidance and federal Good Samaritan liability protection. Account setup and posting surplus take about five minutes, with no training or IT involvement required.
- Commerce & Shopping
- Food Technology
- Logistics & Supply Chain
- Clean Technology
- Software Only
Funding
Founders
Founder details are not available yet.
Product
Problem
Restaurants and food businesses frequently discard edible surplus food because the donation process is fragmented and time-consuming, requiring cold calls to shelters, manual coordination, and complex paperwork. This administrative burden discourages consistent giving, contributing to food waste while nearby shelters face shortages.
Solution
Foodbridge provides a digital marketplace that connects restaurants with surplus food to shelters ready for pickup, replacing manual coordination with real-time matching. When a restaurant lists leftover items at close, nearby shelters can claim them immediately within the platform. The service automates IRS-compliant donation receipts for every completed pickup and tracks impact metrics like pounds rescued and meals served. Built-in food safety guidance and federal Good Samaritan liability protection reduce risk, while direct messaging keeps the entire handoff—including times and access codes—in one thread. Account setup and posting surplus take roughly five minutes, with no training or IT involvement required.
Target Audience
Primary customers are restaurants and food businesses with surplus inventory, as well as nonprofit shelters and food relief organizations seeking reliable, low-effort donation intake.
Features
- Real-time matching of surplus food listings with nearby shelters that claim items on the spot
- Automated generation of IRS-compliant PDF donation receipts for tax deductions
- Impact tracking dashboard reporting pounds rescued, meals served, and deductions earned
- Direct messaging thread for coordinating pickup times, back-door codes, and late-run flags
- Built-in food safety guidance and liability protection aligned with federal Good Samaritan laws
- Identity verification for restaurants (health inspection certificates) and shelters (capacity documentation), including government-issued ID review
- Digital signature capture by shelter staff to confirm receipt of donations
- Donation content management including photos, food name, category, quantity, estimated value, storage conditions, allergens, and special instructions