Takeaway Your Food With Zero Waiting Time with Kevin Tan’s Snackpass

Kevin Tan is the founder and CEO of Snackpass which is a mobile app that allows users to buy takeaway and avoid the wait. Snackpass has garnered a cult following of loyal fans who “Snackpass” breakfast, lunch, and dinner since its introduction in Berkeley.

Kevin had this thought while listening to an economics lecture. He met his co-founders, John, who was from his hometown, and Jamie, who had messaged him after using the app, after finishing the first prototype. The startup scene at Yale was essentially non-existent at the time Snackpass was created, and the one startup accelerator that did exist, ironically, refused to admit them.
Because the founders didn’t have any money, they had to rely on their own hard work and tenacity to keep the app alive. Initially, they paired with eateries by going door to door visiting mom and pop stores and speaking with the proprietors directly.To spread the word, they distributed flyers around campus and built referral systems within the app.

With Uber Eats, DoorDash, Postmates, and a slew of other food delivery apps on the market, it’s easy to see why Snackpass stands out. The trick is in the app’s social capabilities, which allow users to share discounts, send presents, and accumulate points with their friends. Snackpass has built virality into their platform by combining social and food.
Kevin and his team is witnessing the emergence of the next generation of social entrepreneurs. Facebook and Snapchat, both created by college students for college students, focused on bringing people together through status updates and vanishing photographs. Snackpass takes a fresh approach by combining the three things that college students enjoy the most: eating, hanging out with friends, and receiving the greatest savings possible.