Participated · Series A · Jul 2018

OLIO operates a mission-driven app that enables hyperlocal, real-time redistribution of surplus food and household items between neighbors and businesses. The core product includes listings for free food and items, a MADE marketplace for local homemade goods, and a GOALS section with swap suggestions; BORROW and WANTED features are planned to launch within six months. OLIO also runs an enterprise-facing Food Waste Heroes programme that partners with retailers and food businesses to collect and redistribute unsold food. The company reports over five million users, 25 million portions of food shared, three million non-food items saved, and that half of posted food is requested within 21 minutes. Its Food Waste Heroes programme has over 30,000 participants and OLIO has integrated with large partners such as Tesco (2,700 UK stores). The business plans to accelerate international expansion across 10 key markets in Latin America, Northern Europe and Asia and to scale the team from about 40 to 175+. Olio operates a location-based app and website that enables neighbours to list and share unwanted food items with people in the same neighbourhood. Its core product is hyperlocal food sharing: users post photos of surplus food which others nearby can claim. Olio also runs a "Food Waste Heroes Programme" that charges businesses a fee to have vetted, food-hygiene-trained volunteers collect unsold food from stores, events, and canteens and list it on the app. Volunteers are vetted, trained in food hygiene and may keep up to 10% of the food they collect. The app already boasts over half a million users, and the company is exploring monetization via a premium subscription for highly active users and opportunities in hyperlocal advertising. The product and community are positioned as a mission-driven solution to reduce household food waste and help alleviate food poverty. OLIO is a mobile app that enables neighbours to share unwanted or unused food within hyper‑local communities. The company also runs a Food Waste Heroes Programme that connects volunteers with businesses, such as supermarkets, to redistribute unsold food at the end of the day. Since launching last year, OLIO has grown to 120,000 users who have shared 35 tonnes of food. The startup has partnered with Sainsbury’s and says it has launched globally. OLIO raised $2.2 million to support its expansion and operations. Cofounders Tessa Cook and Saasha Celestial‑One aim to scale mobile‑enabled hyper‑local food‑sharing networks worldwide.