11 inspiring people from 11 years of Escape: Deepak Ravindran

When we first started Escape the City back in 2010, we had no idea how many incredibly inspiring people we'd meet along the way. We set out to help ambitious and talented people to do work that matters to them and the world, and through the years we've encountered thousands of people who demonstrate that it's possible to do something different with your career and make a difference in the process. While it was hard to choose just 11 stories, here we've outlined a few of the people who we come back to regularly when we're looking for a bit of inspiration ourselves.

We hope you enjoy reading their stories and that they can be an inspiration to you, too!

Deepak Ravindran - The food waste hero

About Deepak:

In 2015, Deepak decided to quit his investment banking career, having worked in financial services for 13 years. He wanted to start something that solved a real problem affecting people's daily lives. He cared immensely about health and wellbeing and wanted to work to help people to live healthier and happier lives.

Deepak’s first foray into this world was as a personal trainer. He joined our Startup Accelerator programme with the intention of kickstarting a new business in personal training and fitness. He led the Escape team on training runs and workouts, filmed himself doing workouts and exercises and amassed himself quite a following on Facebook and social platforms. Yet, for Deepak, something was missing. His ambition to help people live healthier and more fulfilling lives was tainted by the egotistical side of the personal training world. He still believed in the need to help others live healthier and happier lives, but knew his “how” might need to shift. 

On a holiday to Portugal, Deepak and his wife Emilie and came across an imperfect-looking tomato that tasted divine. They were puzzled as to why fresh produce in the UK's supermarkets looked so perfect but didn't taste as good.

They conducted some research and found that in the UK, 30% of fresh produce is wasted as a result of strict supermarket specifications, or because it's deemed surplus to requirements. The estimated annual food waste is around ten million tonnes and worth £17bn.

So Emilie set to work on launching a business to tackle the wastage of wonky fruit and veg by delivering it as veg boxes. Once Emilie got started, Deepak saw his opportunity to help others live healthier & more fulfilling lives whilst tackling one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Together they co-founded Oddbox, a social enterprise that fights food waste by locally sourcing misshapen and surplus fruit and vegetables, and delivering weekly wonky veg boxes to homes and businesses in London and the South East (with plans to expand to other areas). They donate up to 10% of their produce to food charities and local community projects which tackle food poverty, such as City Harvest, and the People's Fridge in Brixton.

In their first quarter of operations, they worked with a single supplier, had ten customers, used to pack our boxes at a local church and deliver them to customers ourselves. They have since delivered more than 1.3 million wonky fruit and veg boxes, saving tonnes of perfectly good food from going to waste, and helping thousands of customers to lead healthier lives. They are also the Number 1 best-rated food delivery box in the UK. 

What we love about Deepak’s story:

Deepak chose the leave his successful career in investment banking behind to find work that was meaningful to both him and the world. In doing so, he followed his curiosities, tested out what he thought he might like to do, and was open to the opportunities and learning that came with that.

When his wife Emilie was in need of support to get Oddbox off the ground, Deepak took the opportunity that was right in front of him to take all of his experience and passion and put it to good use making Oddbox a success.

Not only has Oddbox been a huge success commercially, but the core of what Oddbox does is a huge benefit to the people and planet. Deepak remains one of the kindest and most thoughtful people we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.