|
|
Foodini is a mobile app that connects the 1 in 3 people with dietary needs to the restaurants and venues that can cater for them. We make dining out with dietary needs easier, faster, safer and more enjoyable!
My name is Dylan McDonnell and I am the Founder and CEO of Foodini. I am from Kerry originally and studied law at UCC before doing a masters in International and European Business Law at Trinity College Dublin. I lived in Dublin for several years where I trained and qualified as a lawyer at Matheson, a top tier corporate law firm. I then specialised in Asset Management and Investment Funds before going in-house with Mercer. When I decided to move to Sydney in 2019, I took up an in-house role with Mercer in Australia.
When I was 10 years old I was diagnosed with coeliac disease, meaning that I have to follow a strict gluten free diet. This has been a massive struggle over the years especially when dining out and has resulted in many negative health consequences. When Covid hit, I decided to see if I could come up with a solution to a problem that affects millions of people globally – eating out with dietary needs.
Following months of research and realising that there was no global solution, I decided to try to create a solution for this global issue – and thus Foodini was born! Foodini is a unique mobile application which allows people to create a dietary profile (40+ diets and allergens to choose from) and the app will show the users which restaurants can cater to them, and exactly what they can and can’t eat on the menu.
Foodini utilises a dietitian led approach to ensure the accuracy of the ingredient and allergen information inputted into the system. We have now developed a unique AI tech solution which allows us to use technology to detect allergens in individual menu items, making our dietitians job much easier and mitigating risk of human error. This approach also allows us to scale at a much quicker pace, meaning we will be Australia wide in the next 6 months.
In a short space of time, we have grown the team to 15 people, and also closed a significant investment round, with investors including global VC funds and professional angel investors. We have enabled tens of thousands of Australians to find meals suitable for them and their loved ones, and also helped thousands of restaurants, cafes and businesses to attract new, loyal customers – thus giving the hospitality industry a much needed boost after a horrific few years.
The service we provide makes a huge difference in the lives of the millions of Aussies with dietary needs, and we are looking forward to expanding into the US and Europe (and Ireland of course) in the very near future. Our vision is to make catering for those with dietary needs the norm, instead of the exception. It brings me a lot of personal satisfaction to be in the process of building a successful and scalable company, whilst making a genuine positive impact on society.
