Meet Andrew Clinkscale

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrew Clinkscale. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrew below.

Hi Andrew, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

’ve spent a lot of my career being the only one in the room who looks like me — whether that’s in media, tech, or now in food innovation. Early on, I stopped seeing that as isolation and started seeing it as opportunity.

When you’re the only one, you learn how to listen differently. You see the blind spots others miss. You learn how to translate ideas across cultures, across industries, and across assumptions. That’s where a lot of my effectiveness has come from — knowing how to make people feel seen, even when I wasn’t.

With Portion, that perspective is built into the DNA of what we’re doing. The platform isn’t just about food waste — it’s about connection. It’s about making sure good food, and good people, aren’t overlooked. I’m used to building bridges between worlds that don’t always talk to each other: tech and hospitality, profit and purpose, innovation and community.

So being the only one in the room taught me how to make the room bigger. And that’s exactly what Portion is doing — opening doors so more people can take a seat at the table.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’ve spent much of my career telling stories — first in front of the camera as a TV host, and now through entrepreneurship. Today, my focus is on building Portion, a platform designed to help restaurants turn surplus food into revenue, reputation, and real impact.

The idea came from something simple but powerful: every night, restaurants close with perfectly good food that never gets sold. Portion gives those meals a second life by making it easy for kitchens to list them for nearby customers at smart discounts — connecting good food with people who want it.

What excites me most about Portion isn’t just the technology, but the philosophy behind it. It’s about rethinking value — proving that what’s left over still has worth. It’s about supporting local businesses, reducing waste, and feeding people in a smarter, more sustainable way.

Right now, we’re focused on launching and growing here in Atlanta, building partnerships that align with our mission and setting the foundation to expand across other cities soon. For me, it’s all about creating solutions that do good and do well — because I believe business should serve both purpose and people.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I think the three most impactful qualities in my journey have been resilience, communication, and vision.

Resilience came early. I grew up in foster care and experienced food insecurity firsthand, so I learned quickly how to adapt, how to find stability in chaos, and how to keep going when nothing felt certain. That perspective shaped everything I’ve done since — it made me resourceful, empathetic, and unwilling to quit when things get hard.

Communication has been the bridge for everything I’ve built. From hosting to pitching investors to working with chefs, it’s all about connection. If you can make people feel something when you talk about your idea, they’ll remember you long after the meeting ends.

And finally, vision — being able to see what doesn’t exist yet and articulate it so clearly that people start to believe it’s already real.

For anyone early in their journey: build your resilience through challenge, sharpen your communication by telling your story often, and protect your vision fiercely. Those three things will carry you through every pivot and every possibility.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

When I think about the most impactful thing my parents did for me, it might sound unexpected — their absence shaped me just as much as their presence ever could have.

Growing up in foster care, I had to learn early how to take care of myself, how to adapt, and how to find family in community. It wasn’t easy, but it taught me independence, empathy, and the ability to see people for who they are, not just where they come from.

In a way, not having that foundation forced me to build my own. And that’s been the fuel behind everything I’ve created — whether in media, in business, or now with Portion. It gave me the perspective to build something that connects people, that feeds them, that offers stability where there was once uncertainty.

So while I didn’t grow up with much guidance, I grew up with grit — and that became the greatest gift they could have given me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://portiontoday.com/
• Instagram: @ThePortionWay