Meet Shaila Sahai, Founder & CEO of We Take Part
“Impact doesn’t scale through buzzwords. It scales through ownership.”
For Shaila, entrepreneurship is personal. It’s not about disruption for disruption’s sake—it’s about rebuilding systems that should’ve worked in the first place. Through her company We Take Part, Shaila is making it easier for anyone—especially underrepresented founders and community-driven businesses—to access capital by democratising equity crowdfunding.
“I started We Take Part out of both frustration and love,” she told us. “Frustration with how broken the system is—and love for the communities being excluded by it.”
The problem she refused to ignore
Shaila’s career began in the world of international development, where she quickly saw the gap between impact rhetoric and actual ownership. “A lot of so-called ‘community projects’ were still top-down,” she said. “We were talking about empowerment, but capital wasn’t changing hands. That stuck with me.”
After leading innovation labs in Africa and Asia, and consulting with major funders across Europe, she decided to build something better. “Equity crowdfunding isn’t new,” she said, “but our approach is. We focus on who gets to raise, who gets to invest, and how capital becomes more than a transaction.”
“It’s not about raising money. It’s about redistributing power.”
The moment it crystallised
There was one day that changed everything. “I received one of the hardest messages of my life,” Shaila recalled. “A friend wrote to say: ‘I know we’re doing our best. But sometimes it’s not enough.’ I was doing all this impact work—but it still wasn’t reaching the people it was supposed to help.”
That message was a mirror. “It showed me how easy it is to confuse good intentions with meaningful results. It pushed me to stop tweaking from the inside and start building from the outside.”
Why We Take Part is different
Shaila isn’t just building tech—she’s rebuilding trust.
“We’re one of the few equity crowdfunding platforms that centres people who are usually left out,” she said. That includes entrepreneurs from marginalised communities, collectives, and small ventures that prioritise social value.
Her platform is accessible by design: lean, transparent, and shaped by founders themselves. “We’re not gatekeeping impact. We’re building the infrastructure for it to thrive.”
How she leads
“I’m a visionary and a builder—but also deeply collaborative,” Shaila said. “I’m energised by people who believe in possibility. That shows up in how I work: open, bold, and always curious.”
She doesn’t shy away from tough conversations, but she doesn’t centre herself in them either. “I’ve learned that real leadership isn’t about being the loudest. It’s about creating space where others feel heard, seen, and supported.”
What she’s building right now
Right now, Shaila’s team is launching a suite of resources to help underrepresented founders get investor-ready—without changing who they are.
“So many founders are told to dilute their vision just to attract capital,” she said. “We’re here to help them do the opposite: raise money by being more of who they are.”
Founderland and finding her people
Shaila credits Founderland as a rare space where authenticity and ambition coexist. “It’s the most responsive, honest, and founder-focused community I’ve experienced,” she said. “Here, I don’t need to code-switch. I can bring all of myself into the room.”
Her biggest challenge—and how she moved through it
Like many founders, Shaila struggled early on with being taken seriously. “As a woman of colour working in finance, I had to prove twice as much with half the access,” she said. “I started to question whether I belonged in the space I was trying to build.”
But instead of backing away, she went deeper. “I stopped chasing validation and started building traction. The results spoke louder than any pitch ever could.”
Advice to her past self
“Your voice matters—even when the room is quiet,” she said. “Don’t wait to be chosen. Start building now. The people who get it will find you.”
Who inspires her
Shaila draws inspiration from organisers and builders who create against the odds. “People who choose service over spotlight. Who design for collective impact, not personal gain. That’s the kind of founder I want to be.”
How she stays grounded
“My creativity comes from movement,” she said. “I walk, I journal, I cook. These aren’t escapes—they’re spaces where clarity shows up.”
She also credits her co-founders and community for holding her accountable. “I don’t believe in the lone genius model. Nothing I’ve built was built alone.”
A mantra she lives by
“My mission is bigger than me.”
It’s not a tagline—it’s a centring force. “Whenever I get overwhelmed, I come back to that. This work is about more than one founder or one platform. It’s about building what we haven’t yet seen.”
Follow Shaila’s Journey
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