Alumni Voices: 'I started the Hot Meal Challenge to help families struggling with the rising cost of living'

Why King’s?

To me, King’s is a place where people and ideas converge. I saw it as not just a place on a map, but a living crossroads that has shaped arts, science, history and technology. Its location on Fleet Street is deeply meaningful to me because it symbolises constant disruption and creative renewal, from the evolution of manuscripts to the printing press.

It was this rich history that brought me to King’s Digital Humanities Department. Like Fleet Street itself, I wanted to explore the shift from the old to the new. Yes, centrality is geography, but I also believe there is an unspoken alchemy to being in the middle of ideas and culture.

What’s the key lesson you learnt at King’s?

Make your own path. At King’s, I learned to embrace the fragile process of growth and change, even when it feels uncomfortable. I’m grateful for it because it instilled a sense of responsibility.

What inspired you pursue a career in tech/startups?

Inspired by my degree, I went on to pursue a career in technology. I believe that buttons, colours and screens, if arranged the right way, have the potential to touch and improve millions of lives.

The wonderful thing about technology is its democratising power. You don’t need anybody’s permission to build a technological solution to a real-world problem. You can start improving people’s lives today.

You received The Diana Award for your incredible work on the 'Hot Meal Challenge'. Can you tell us a bit more about this and the inspiration behind the app?

I started the Hot Meal Challenge to help families struggling with the rising cost of living. When food price inflation soared to a 40-year high in the United Kingdom and people started skipping meals, I asked myself how I could use my technology background to fundraise hot meals and raise awareness about the deeper social consequences of food poverty.

When I talked to members of my community in London, I realised that the long-term psychological effects of food poverty can be much more detrimental than their physiological ones: social isolation, shame and deteriorating mental health. This was my starting point.

How it works:

You donate a hot meal, nominate three friends to donate in 24 hours and share your personalised donation award on social media. This creates a positive feedback loop of donations. Donors can showcase their award as a badge of honour and inspire the next friendship group to donate.

I was very fortunate to partner with Sufra, a leading London-based food insecurity charity, to transfer all the donations and use their food supply chains. Together, we wanted to use food as a vehicle to restore human dignity and let people enjoy hot meals in a place of community. 

I was thrilled to receive the Diana Award for my work. I’m incredibly proud to honour Princess Diana’s legacy of abundant compassion. This award reflects all the selfless dedication of our Hot Meal Challenge community: the volunteers, student ambassadors and donors who made sure that no one had to face hunger alone. Princess Diana showed us how small but intentional acts of kindness can create lasting change in the world.

Do you have any advice for fellow tech founders?

Every founder’s story is uniquely personal yet fundamentally the same. You’re driven by a figment of curiosity that is unique to your human experience, and that ultimately drives you to solve a shared and very universal human problem.

What worked best for me was to never lose sight of what got me started. However, it’s important to have the humility and acknowledge that what prompted this initial figment of curiosity may change as you navigate through different phases of your journey.

What's next for you?

I will continue solving social challenges with technology. Stay tuned…

You can find out more about Fabio at his website.