Evan Sharp

Evan Sharp
Name	Evan Sharp
Birth date	1982
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education	Columbia University (BA), University of Oxford (MSt)
Occupation	Entrepreneur, designer, investor
Known for	Co-founding Pinterest
Spouse	Mimi O. Chun (m. 2016)

Evan Sharp is an American entrepreneur, designer, and investor best known as the co-founder and chief design & creative officer of the visual discovery engine Pinterest. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Oxford, Sharp combined his academic background in architecture and history with a passion for design to help create one of the world's most popular social media platforms. His work at the San Francisco-based company has significantly influenced digital product design and the evolution of visual search on the internet.

Early life and education

Evan Sharp was born in Chicago and developed an early interest in design and architecture. He pursued undergraduate studies at Columbia University in New York City, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history. His academic focus then shifted toward the built environment, leading him to the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. At Oxford, Sharp completed a Master of Studies in intellectual history and architecture, a interdisciplinary program that blended analytical thinking with design principles. This unique educational path, bridging the humanities and design, later proved foundational for his approach to building digital products.

Career

Prior to his breakthrough in technology, Sharp explored careers at the intersection of design and media. He worked as a designer and architect for the renowned firm Kohn Pedersen Fox in New York City, contributing to large-scale architectural projects. Concurrently, he served as a freelance design contributor for publications like *The New York Times Magazine*, honing his skills in visual storytelling. His professional trajectory took a decisive turn when he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and took a role as a product designer at Facebook, working on projects that involved the News Feed and social plugins. This experience in the heart of Silicon Valley provided critical insights into scaling consumer internet products.

Co-founding Pinterest

In 2009, while still at Facebook, Sharp began collaborating with Ben Silbermann and Paul Sciarra on a side project focused on collecting and organizing images online. The trio officially launched the closed beta of Pinterest in March 2010, with Sharp leading the product's design and user experience vision. His architectural training directly informed the platform's signature grid-based layout, which he coded himself in CSS. The company quickly gained traction, securing early funding from prominent venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer Venture Partners. Sharp's design philosophy, emphasizing simplicity, visual density, and intuitive curation, was instrumental in defining Pinterest's unique identity distinct from other social networks like Twitter or Facebook.

Role at Pinterest

As Chief Design & Creative Officer, Sharp oversees all aspects of Pinterest's product design, brand identity, and creative direction. He has been pivotal in scaling the platform's core technology, including the development of advanced visual search tools like Pinterest Lens and Shop the Look. Under his design leadership, Pinterest expanded its global footprint, launching localized services in markets such as Japan, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Sharp also helped steward the company through its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019. His long-term focus has been on building Pinterest as a tool for inspiration and planning rather than passive social consumption, a strategy that has attracted hundreds of millions of monthly active users.

Other ventures and investments

Beyond his operational role at Pinterest, Sharp is an active angel investor and advisor in the technology and design sectors. He has invested in numerous startups, including the design collaboration platform Figma, the community-focused group messaging app Dispo, and the home design marketplace Minted. Sharp also serves on the board of trustees for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), supporting its architecture and design initiatives. His investment thesis often centers on companies that empower creativity, improve digital interfaces, or bridge the physical and digital worlds, reflecting his enduring interest in the applied arts.

Personal life

Evan Sharp married creative director and writer Mimi O. Chun in a ceremony in Sonoma County, California in 2016. The couple, who have two children, resides in San Francisco. Sharp is known for a relatively private personal life, with his public presence largely focused on his professional work in design and technology. He occasionally speaks at industry conferences such as the Design Matters conference and has contributed written pieces on design thinking to publications like *Fast Company*.

Category:American technology company founders Category:American designers Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:Columbia University alumni Category:University of Oxford alumni