Komal Ahmad: Eradicating Hunger through Copia

When it comes to serving humanity and seeing the needs of others, specifically those who suffer from hunger, it was one chat with a hungry veteran who hadn't eaten in 3 days that led Komal Ahmad to shift from a medical school student to being an entrepreneur and make her way to the list of Forbes 30 under 30.'Hunger' is the most overlooked issue and the most fundamental problem for those under the poverty line. Zero hunger can be confirmed if only food wastage can be controlled. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, "globally, around 14% of food produced is lost between harvest and retail". A vast amount of this food loss happens at the retail - this includes dining out at restaurants, eating out at fast food chains and grocery stores, and consumption level - this consists of the food that we've been guilty of throwing away because we were too full or it got spoiled in the refrigerator.

Early Life and Childhood

Komal Ahmad was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and later moved to Nevada, Las Vegas with her family during her early years. Komal had a passion from her early childhood of becoming a doctor. "I thought that was the only way you could help people," she remembers. Komal kept this goal close to her heart throughout her childhood, even as she immigrated from Pakistan to the United States with her family.

Education and Career Aspirations :

When it was time for Komal to go to college, she had her eyes set on the University of California, Berkeley. She joined the university intending to complete her medical degree and later pursue a career as a doctor in the US Navy. Still, fate had something more extraordinary in store for her. The reality that Komal found at Berkeley led her in a new direction altogether, though her mission of serving humanity and helping others remained the same.

Initial Endeavors

Komal joined the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) at Berkeley, just as she had planned, but she hadn't planned how this would open her eyes to the issues of world health and wealth disparity. Being a practicing minor in global poverty and practice, Komal used a pre-med program, which allowed her to partner with a Tanzanian organization to work with patients, almost two-thirds of whom tested positive for HIV (AIDS). Her observations during this time frame made her realize that even though her global goal was to serve humanity, she needed to start locally.

A Chance Encounter

On Telegraph Avenue, she had a fortunate encounter with a homeless man named John, a returned war veteran from a second tour in Iraq. She was incredibly moved and saddened by his story. The vet was lost and hadn't eaten in three days. He was begging on the streets while waiting for his benefits to become available. Komal was highly drawn to learn about the man's story and invited him to lunch with her. This instance sparked the idea of hope and change in Komal, an idea that revolutionized food wastage, and the foundation of Copia was laid.

COPIA - Fighting Hunger and Revolutionizing Food Wastage

Copia is an app that connects businesses and non-profit organizations to hungry people. The app works similarly to ordering food online, except it sends quality excess food to the channels needing it most without waste. Copia uses technology to redirect surplus food from businesses and events to feed those in need. In her 2016 Women in the World Summit speech, she mentioned her idea about hunger.

“Hunger is the world’s dumbest problem, especially in the wealthiest country’.”

Komal Ahmad's vision for Copia is to "solve the world's dumbest problems," particularly addressing hunger and food waste through technology.

Copia's Impact and Mission

Copia's mission is to tackle the twin challenges of hunger and food waste through intelligent logistics. The company has already recovered over 8,30,000 pounds of food, and it continues to grow to feed one million people by redistributing quality food that would otherwise spoil and go to waste.

Challenges and Triumphs

Komal Ahmad's journey with Copis is challenging. Logistics, coordination, and scaling operations have presented their fair challenges. Despite all the obstacles that appeared in the way of making Copia a success, Komal remained firm, keeping her aim of serving humanity at the front. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Forbes 30 under 30 award, the Nelson Mandela Humanitarian award, and Toyota's Mother of Invention award, along with Copia being named one of the top 3 "hottest startups run by women." In one of her interviews for Berkely Alumni, she gave a motivating message to young women entrepreneurs.

“Give yourself room to explore and be adaptable to the new experiences and opportunities that will inevitably come your way. Learn from your failures, and from these failures come your greatest lessons and eventually your greatest success.”

Komal plans to spread Copia to countries suffering the most from hunger and poverty. According to her, truly understanding the problem is the first step to creating a playbook to scale Copia's operations to meet the global need. Her team is on a mission to eliminate hunger worldwide, and to accomplish this; they are making a simple and seamless process with more significant benefits to incentivize food donations over food waste.

Despite not completing her medical school, Komal Ahmad found a way to serve humanity. She used technology to help fight hunger and control food wastage. With Copia, she touches many lives and reduces need and food waste. She inspires young women entrepreneurs and new women business owners, especially, and is an icon of change and hope for many.

Female FounderTayyaba QamarOctober 11, 2023