Ms. Sheila Nyambugi
she/her/hers
My Introduction
My Venture
N'Lishe
N'Lishe is a Kenyan social enterprise improving maternal and child nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life. We develop culturally appropriate, food-based nutritional solutions while strengthening the systems that enable mothers to access, understand, and sustain good nutrition. Rather than viewing malnutrition as simply a product gap, N'Lishe addresses the biological, behavioural, economic, and health system constraints that interrupt maternal nourishment. Our approach combines locally produced nutrition products, community engagement, evidence generation, and strategic partnerships with health providers to improve nutrition continuity and long-term health outcomes. By integrating public health, systems thinking, and sustainable business, N'Lishe is building a scalable model that improves maternal health while creating lasting social and economic value.
KIAMBU, KE
HIP Dev 2026
About
Sheila Catherine Nyambugi is the Founder and CEO of N'Lishe, a Kenyan public health social enterprise dedicated to improving maternal and child nutrition during the critical first 1,000 days of life. She is a registered nurse by training and a public health entrepreneur with expertise spanning healthcare, brand strategy, systems thinking, and social innovation.
Driven by the belief that lasting health outcomes require stronger systems rather than isolated interventions, Sheila founded N'Lishe to address the multiple barriers that prevent mothers from accessing and sustaining adequate nutrition. Under her leadership, N'Lishe develops culturally appropriate, food-based nutritional solutions while working with communities, health professionals, and strategic partners to strengthen maternal nutrition through education, evidence generation, and sustainable delivery models.
Before founding N'Lishe, Sheila established ButtonHead, a branding and strategy agency that helped organizations build meaningful brands and communicate complex ideas effectively. Her multidisciplinary background enables her to bridge public health, human-centred design, and business strategy to create solutions that are both impactful and commercially sustainable.
Sheila has led N'Lishe from concept to pilot implementation, securing non-dilutive grant funding, achieving key regulatory milestones, and demonstrating early evidence of market demand and social impact. Her long-term vision is to build one of Africa's leading maternal nutrition enterprises—creating scalable solutions that improve health outcomes while strengthening the systems that support mothers, families, and communities.