Sharon Ogolla
Founder and CEO
A researcher turned builder, Sharon leads Seeded Impact, a startup studio, turning bold ideas into ventures that last. With a background spanning WFP, Cadasta Foundation, Development Gateway, GAIN among others, she brings data, design, and purpose together to build systems that scale impact across Africa.
Social Media
Biography
Powered by tea, crazy ideas, and a stubborn belief in impact – that’s pretty much how I’ve built my career. Before starting Seeded Impact, I spent years in the research and development trenches helping teams at different NGOs figure out what works, why it works, and how to make it last. So I decided to build something different… something that keeps going.
At Seeded Impact, I get to blend everything I love: evidence, design, and a good dose of experimentation. I still think like a researcher, always curious, always asking “what if?” but I build like a founder: fast, messy, and obsessed with what’s next.
And when I’m not doing all that? I’m probably on a flight somewhere, chasing new stories, new flavors, or new ways to make the world a little less predictable, preferably with a good plate of food and a better view.
Not just countries — pieces of the story.
A map of the places that shaped how I think about impact. Each journey has challenged how I see systems, people, and what real change looks like. From field visits, to conferences, to boardrooms, and everywhere in between.
Before It Worked, It Failed (Spectacularly)
The startup graveyard is full of good ideas. I just took notes while I was there. Pages of them!
I’ve built brands that almost worked, ideas that deserved better timing, and pilots that ran out of breath before the finish line. But every crash course came with data, and every “failure” taught me how to build systems that don’t depend on luck. That’s how Seeded Impact was born, not from success, but from studying what didn’t survive.
(Indigenous juice)