Sharma Looks to Lift Those in Need

Queens Chronicle

City Council bid looks to reinvest in community, rejuvenate economy

Deepti Sharma founded FoodtoEat, a corporate catering concierge service that focuses on minority-run small food businesses, after graduating from Stony Brook University in 2011. A first-generation American, Sharma noticed the struggles small business owners, especially immigrants and women, faced, and how other food apps, such as Seamless and Grubhub, only hindered their growth.

“The approach was: ‘How do we listen to the underrepresented community members?’” she said. “Build a company and put them first.”

Sharma is a vocal advocate for policies that benefit minority communities. She has sat on the board for the Business Center for New Americans, a nonprofit that encourages immigrants to start small businesses, and has written on how larger businesses can lift up their minority workers.