3282: Fighting Waste with AI and Community at Olio

What does it take to turn a moment of frustration into a global mission to tackle waste? At the AWS Summit in London, I sat down with Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO of Olio, to explore how a single idea born on a snowy Swiss street evolved into a powerful tech platform reshaping how communities think about consumption, sharing, and sustainability.

Tessa shared her personal journey, from growing up on a farm where food waste was unthinkable to climbing the corporate ladder before walking away to co-found Olio. That decision came after she was told to throw away perfectly good food while moving house, a moment that sparked an idea and a deeper calling.

What followed was years of research, a grassroots WhatsApp experiment, and ultimately, the creation of an app that now connects millions of users worldwide.

In our conversation, we explored how Olio uses technology to drive real-world change. Tessa explained how AWS has been a foundational partner since day one, helping Olio scale sustainably without compromising its values. She also gave an inside look at how AI is integrated thoughtfully across their operations, from assisting users in listing items faster to detecting potentially unsafe or inappropriate listings before they go live.

What stood out is how intentional Tessa and her team have been in making AI serve the mission, not distract from it. Whether it’s reducing friction within communities or using automation to offset operational challenges, every tech choice is aligned with their goal: to build a waste-free world. We also discussed how AI is helping them break the traditional link between headcount and impact, paving the way toward profitability while staying people-focused.

As Olio aims to reach a billion users by 2030, this episode is a reminder of what happens when purpose and technology meet. Tessa’s story offers a compelling blueprint for founders, technologists, and anyone looking to use digital tools to solve human problems.

How can a simple act of sharing create ripple effects across the world, and what role will technology play in scaling that vision responsibly?