Sarah Burch

Sarah was raised in the Pacific Northwest and is a proud member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. She lives in Los Angeles, CA where she enjoys exploring Topanga parks, eating delicious LA food, and trying to learn how to surf. Sarah holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame.

I specialize in building the operational backbone for mission-driven startups—creating high-performing teams and flexible systems that scale. As a COO, I work with CEOs, Boards, and leadership teams to to design and implement operations powered by AI/automation, business alignment, and measurable results. 

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My prior work includes launching an early-stage venture fund at the U.S. Agency for International Development, scaling a crypto-based foundation that grew to a multi-award winning incubator-investor, and providing hands-on operational support to over 50+ startups across ten sectors and twenty countries. And, I've seen up-close 350+ startups struggle and solve their biggest scaling challenges. I understand what it takes to scale an organization effectively. 

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I am passionate about reducing the role luck plays in people's lives, effective leadership and management in a rapidly evolving world, and finding the humor/fun along the way.

As a member of Class 25, Sarah is serving her fellowship at Rippleworks under the mentorship of Johanna Posada, Founder and Managing Partner at Elevar Equity and Sarah Rose, CPO of Beauty For All Industries (BFA).