IBMEAL

Inspiration

80% of workers in institutions are too engaged or tired to cook, leading them to rely on takeouts, which often lack proper nutrition. IBMeal aims to tackle this issue by providing an efficient, healthy meal service through Telegram. Inspired by SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), we aim to help our target market—70 million Nigerians, including students, staff, and parents—adopt healthier eating habits by 2030.

What it does

IBMeal is a Telegram-based meal ordering platform that provides instant access to healthy meals for institutional workers, students, and hospital staff.

Users interact with a Telegram bot, enter meal preferences, or choose from a categorized menu.
GPT-4o processes inquiries and recommends suitable meal options.
Users confirm their order, select quantity, and input their location.
An order number is generated and sent to a dispatch rider.
The dispatch rider picks up the meal and delivers it after verifying the order number.

How we built it

Telegram Bot: Handles user interactions and order placement.
GPT-4o: Filters and processes meal inquiries for personalized recommendations.
SQLite Database: Stores available meals and processes selections.
Dispatch System: Ensures timely meal delivery.
Azure Cloud: Hosts the platform for reliability and scalability.

Challenges we ran into

Finding a suitable hosting platform was a challenge, but we eventually chose Azure for scalability and reliability.
Ensuring seamless communication between Telegram, GPT-4o, and our database required fine-tuning our integrations.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully developed an AI-powered meal ordering system that provides healthy diet recommendations.
Enabled a seamless food delivery process that improves convenience for institutional workers.
Created an interactive Telegram bot that enhances user experience with intelligent meal suggestions.

What we learned

The importance of AI-driven recommendations for personalized meal selection.
How to optimize Telegram bots for intuitive user interaction.
Strategies for improving the logistics of food ordering and delivery.

What's next for IBMeal

Partnerships with restaurant owners to expand our meal options.
Loyalty and credit system to allow users to pre-purchase meals.
Expansion beyond Nigeria, targeting institutional workers in other African countries.
Integration with payment gateways for seamless transactions.
Real-time order tracking for improved delivery transparency.