Startup Series: OLIO

Today's guest is Tessa Clarke, Co-Founder & CEO of OLIO. OLIO is a free app that exists to tackle the enormous problem of waste in our homes & local communities. OLIO works to connect neighbors so that surplus food and other household items can be given away, not thrown away. So that everyday things can be lent & borrowed, instead of bought. In addition, the OLIO app redistributes unsold food t to the community, enabling those businesses to achieve zero food waste locations. Its impact has been widely recognized, most notably by the United Nations, who highlighted OLIO as a "beacon" for the world, and Vivatech, who awarded it OLIO "Next European Unicorn". Before OLIO, Tessa had a 15-year corporate career as a digital Managing Director in the media, retail, and financial services sectors. She met her co-founder Saasha while studying for their MBAs at Stanford University. Tessa is passionate about the sharing economy as a solution for a sustainable world and about 'profit with purpose' as the next business paradigm. In this episode, Tessa outlines why food waste is a critical climate topic, what motivated her to co-found OLIO, and how the company addresses food waste. We also dive into why Tessa distinguishes between mission alignment and mission obsession, how OLIO incentivizes households and stores to donate excess food, and what sets the startup apart from its competitors. Tessa is a great guest. Enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Episode recorded December 16th, 2021