Ian Oluoch

Ian Oluoch is the co-founder and CEO of GreenChar, a social enterprise that produces eco-friendly charcoal briquettes from agricultural waste in Kenya. Growing up in rural Kenya, Ian experienced firsthand the devastating effects of using charcoal and firewood for cooking. After losing his father at age 8, he helped his mother sell fish to support the family, sparking his entrepreneurial mindset. At Alliance High School, he co-founded GreenChar in 2013 with classmates to provide cleaner, more affordable fuel solutions to the 90% of Kenyan households dependent on wood-fuels. He later studied social entrepreneurship at Watson University in Boulder, Colorado.