Saasha Celestial-One is a social entrepreneur driven by a deep sense of responsibility toward people, planet, and future generations. As the co-founder of OLIO, a global food-sharing app, Saasha has spent the last decade working to tackle one of the world’s most overlooked challenges—food waste. Humans of Fuzia features her story because it reflects courage, long-term leadership, and the power of women-led impact businesses. Her journey resonates deeply with our 5M+ global community of women who believe in creating change through collaboration, compassion, and purpose—He for She and She for She.
Q. What inspired you to start your entrepreneurial journey?
My first business was London’s first pay-as-you-go childcare provider, which I started while on maternity leave. Having access to flexible childcare gave me the mental space to think bigger about what I wanted to build. That experience made me realize how much I loved creating solutions to real-world problems—and it ultimately gave me the confidence to dream beyond myself and think about impact at scale.
Q. How did OLIO come into existence?
OLIO started about ten years ago with a simple but urgent question: how can we stop food from going to waste in our homes? Around 40% of the world’s food is never eaten, while millions of people go hungry and food waste contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. We wanted to solve food waste at its source—households—by enabling people to share surplus food with their neighbors through a simple app.
Q. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while building OLIO?
Surprisingly, demand was never the problem. People are hardwired to hate seeing food go to waste. The real challenge was getting people to take that small step of sharing food from their homes. Food waste happens privately, and asking people to change that behavior was harder than expected. We learned that people need to be taken on a journey—starting by collecting surplus food from businesses, which normalizes food sharing, before they feel confident enough to share from their own homes.
Q. What milestone are you most proud of so far?
Receiving the United Nations Momentum for Change Award at COP was a pivotal moment for me. Being recognized on a global stage as a female-founded business working to mitigate climate change was deeply humbling. While we’re proud to have rescued over 135 million meals, it also reminded us that systems change takes decades and collective effort. Even ten years in, we’re still at the beginning of that journey.
Q. Are you a solo entrepreneur, or do you have support along the way?
I definitely wouldn’t be here without my co-founder, Tessa. We’ve known each other for over 20 years and built OLIO on a foundation of friendship, trust, and respect. Our alignment and communication have been crucial to our longevity. Strong partnerships matter immensely when you’re building something that’s meant to last.
Q. What are your thoughts on women in leadership today?
Women are natural leaders. Their leadership style often focuses on long-term impact rather than short-term wins. While it’s true that systems like venture capital funding are still biased, there’s also incredible solidarity among women. Female entrepreneurs support each other through mentorship, angel investing, and community. Women-led leadership may not always seek the spotlight, but it’s deeply impactful and transformative.
Q. What advice would you give to aspiring women entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is long, hard, and often lonely—so surround yourself with a strong support network. Find co-founders, mentors, and peers who can walk the journey with you. Also, dream big. The bigger the problem you’re trying to solve, the easier it becomes to gain attention, funding, and momentum. Build strong scaffolding around yourself and don’t be afraid to aim high.
Q. What is your personal definition of success?
Success, for me, is contentment—knowing that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be and nothing else I’d rather be working on. When you feel aligned with your purpose and don’t wish you were doing something else, that’s a powerful and peaceful form of success.
“When you know that what you’re working on is exactly how you’re meant to be spending your time, that feeling of alignment—that’s success.” — Saasha Celestial-One
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