# Nigel Sharp

> Nigel Sharp is a British-Armenian entrepreneur, engineer and founder coach based in Tacoma, Washington. He co-founded Aquagga and served as its founding CEO from 2019 to 2024, helping develop a business around PFAS destruction after customer discovery redirected an initial sewage-sludge concept. His career includes TUMO in Armenia, Lionsharp, Stateless, university entrepreneurship roles in Colorado and Alaska, and Students2Startups. He is now co-founder and CEO of Yardrail and works with founders as a coach and mentor.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Yardrail; founder coach; EIR and mentor at One Day
- **Organizations:** Yardrail, Aquagga, nigelsharp.com, One Day, Venture Mechanics, Stateless, Lionsharp, TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Techstars Boulder, GEN Space, Dolphin Labs
- **From:** London, United Kingdom
- **Nationality:** British; identifies as British-Armenian
- **Education:** BEng, Mechanical Engineering, King’s College London, MSc, Digital Technology & Management, King’s College London
- **Known for:** Co-founded Aquagga and led it as founding CEO from 2019 to 2024., Aquagga won the $15,000 grand prize in the 2020 Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge., Aquagga won an EPA-sponsored PFAS destruction challenge in 2020.

## Career timeline

- **Age 13** — Started a metal welding company.
- **Age 15** — Reached the Irish Young Entrepreneur national final with a computer mouse cleaner sold in local shops.
- **2010-2013** — Worked on IT infrastructure at TUMO Center for Creative Technologies in Armenia; dates from his personal timeline.
- **2013-2015** — Co-founded and led Lionsharp, developer of Voiceboard.
- **2015-2017** — Global Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Colorado Boulder; dates from personal timeline, role independently confirmed in January 2016.
- **2016-2017** — Co-founded Stateless with Eric Keller and Murad Kablan; company selected for Techstars Boulder in 2017.
- **2018** — Joined UAF Center ICE as startups and innovation manager while serving as University of Alaska Global Entrepreneur in Residence.
- **2019** — Co-founded Aquagga; served as founding CEO until 2024.
- **2021** — Left Center ICE to work full time at Aquagga.
- **2024-08** — Stepped down as Aquagga CEO and moved into an executive advisory role.
- **2024-2025** — Worked as a fractional executive with Dolphin Labs, according to his personal timeline.
- **2025-present** — Founder coaching and EIR/mentoring work with One Day, according to his personal website.
- **2026** — Yardrail’s company website identifies Sharp as co-founder and CEO and gives 2026 as the company founding year.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Aquagga and led it as founding CEO from 2019 to 2024.
- Aquagga won the $15,000 grand prize in the 2020 Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge.
- Aquagga won an EPA-sponsored PFAS destruction challenge in 2020.
- Created Students2Startups, connecting more than 30 Alaska students with startups by August 2021.
- Co-founded Stateless, selected for Techstars Boulder in 2017.
- Delivered the 2013 TEDxYerevan talk Be brave in the business of life.
- Yardrail and his personal website report mentorship of more than 450 startups and small businesses; this is a self-reported cumulative count.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — As checked in October 2026, Yardrail lists him as co-founder and CEO; this is an observation date, not an announcement date.
- **2026-10** — His personal website lists founder coaching, EIR and mentoring work with One Day, and workflow projects through Yardrail; checked October 2026.
- **2024-08** — Announced his transition from Aquagga CEO to an executive advisory role.

## Links

- Website: https://nigelsharp.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelsharp/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/nigel-sharp
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20