‘Taste in Time’: Pakistani student bags second spot in business competition

Application helps users find food at later hours at cheaper prices

PESHAWAR: Would it not be nice that apart from directing you to the nearest café, your phone could also help prevent wastage of food

Well, now there is an app for that. Developed by a group of international students, including a Pakistani student, the idea has won second prize at the Business Ideas competition in Singapore.

“Taste in Time”, was developed by Ali Imam from the Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences) while participating in the two-week international competition organised by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Entrepreneurship Centre.



Held from July 9 to July 22, the competition brought together 70 students from 17 countries. They were then divided into 22 groups to come up with 22 business ideas for the Singaporean market. Imam was paired with Sana Sawhney from the United Kingdom, Kunlin Wang and Lydia Liu from China.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

Their idea, a mobile app, will guide users in Singapore to the nearest cafes. Moreover, it will help minimise food wastage since it allows people to buy the amount of food they need.

Imam said that the idea came about after observing eating habits of people living in Singapore where people are diet conscious. Moreover, they do not make dinner or require food later in the evening. Through the app, Imam wants to help restaurants and consumers find food at later hours at cheaper prices.



“This app will inform [users] about the nearest cafe where fresh salads or sandwiches are available at discounted prices so that we can reduce food wastage,” he told The Express Tribune.

Imam was not the only student from IMS in Peshawar to participate in the competition, Laiba Amjad too made it to the NUS Summer Enterprise Programme among 13 students from Pakistan.

“The main focus of the programme was to promote entrepreneurship since Singapore is among the leading entrepreneurial nations in the world,” said Dinar Wali, manager at the Career Development Center of IMSciences.

“Students also got an opportunity to meet with and interact with different entrepreneurs who are currently working in Singapore,”
he added.

Students also visited tech giants such as Microsoft and Google.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2017.