GMF#38 | Before We Built Give.Asia, We Delivered Food from Our Dorm Room
TL;DR:
Long before Give.Asia existed, we were just a bunch of hungry students at NUS who decided to start a late-night food delivery service from our dorm room. We had no clue what we were doing—but what we did have was luck, mentorship, and kindness from the people around us. Nearly 20 years later, that spirit still drives us to help others who are just starting out. Because giving forward isn’t just what we do—it’s how we began.
Give.Asia wasn’t our first startup—food delivery from a dorm room was.
We had no experience, just curiosity and midnight hunger.
We survived because of kind mentors who saw potential and gave guidance.
We still root for the underdogs—and we’re here to pay it forward.
Today, we’re finding ways to support others starting their social good journey.
From Chicken Cheese Naan to Crowdfunding
Not many people know this—but the first “startup” we ran together had nothing to do with donations or tech for good.
It was a food delivery hustle.
Picture this: a bunch of undergrads at NUS, up way too late, stomachs growling, and one of us going, “Hey… what if we sold supper to other students too?”
We didn’t know what a business plan was.
We named it after our friend’s nickname.
We just had cravings and a launched a Geocities website.
But what we lacked in experience, we made up for in kindness received.
Fed by Kindness
The husband-and-wife team running the dorm canteen were the first to take us seriously. They could’ve laughed us off. Instead, they took us under their wing—teaching us what sells, how to price, and even when to avoid over-ordering (because leftover cheese naans get soggy and don’t reheat well).
And when someone reported us for operating “unauthorised food delivery”? We thought we were done for.
Instead, the university admin called us in and said:
“Here’s how you can make it official. Also—meet this prof who runs the entrepreneurship program.”
It was wild.
Kindness showed up, again and again, and kept us going.
Why This Still Matters 20 Years Later
It’s been nearly two decades since then.
We’ve changed platforms. We’ve changed missions. But one thing’s never changed:
We root for people who are just getting started.
People who have good hearts but rough edges.
People figuring it out as they go.
People who want to build something meaningful but aren’t quite sure how.
We get it—because we were them.
Giving It Forward to the Underdogs of Today
That’s why these days, we’re spending more time hanging out in the startup-for-good space.
Sometimes we share knowledge. Sometimes we help with fundraising.
And sometimes we just show up, because it’s lonely to try and change the world when no one’s clapping yet.
We’ve always believed in a better tomorrow.
But more than that—we believe in helping the people brave enough to build it.
Because we didn’t get here alone.
And we won’t move forward without giving back.