SUSTAINABILITY LEADER. SERIAL FOUNDER.
BUILDER OF WHAT COMES NEXT.
Shama
Alexander
I have spent 25 years working at the intersection of sustainability and business. Climate. Commerce. Stakeholder Engagement. Regulation.
ABOUT
I am a Bay Area native, born in Berkeley, and have traveled the world extensively.
Growing up, the world was my classroom, and I learned in the way only a child can, about the planet, about language and culture, about geopolitics. I started kindergarten in Murree, Pakistan, and by the time I graduated from high school in Lima, Peru, I was back in Europe again. By the time I was 18, I had reached a bucket list of destinations traversed and had a keen global sense. This experience deeply shaped how I see the world to this day. Everything is connected. Everything is alive. Absolutely everything is worth paying attention to.
Every chapter of my career has followed the same pattern. Founding Earthride in my 20s. Leading sustainability at LUSH Cosmetics in my 30s. Building Herb's Cider to a $15M exit in my 40s. Now I am on a new startup venture, Amalé. I look for the place where the world needs me the most, understand it as intimately as I can, and build a container to support it.
What I care about most is stewardship... Of land, of resources, of relationships, of the companies that I help to build. I do not separate how I run a business from how I live. Integrity is a way of life because I believe that how you show up in one part of your life is how you show up in all parts of your life.
NOW
Amalé Technologies:
What I am building right now
A B2B SaaS compliance platform built around California's SB 707 textile EPR legislation, the most significant mandate in U.S. textile waste policy.
SB 707 requires all textile producers selling into California to enroll in a Producer Responsibility Organization by July 1, 2026. Most brands do not yet have the infrastructure to comply. Amalé is that infrastructure.
Our core products are the Circularity Engine™, which automates compliance reporting and lifecycle data, and Smart Tag™, a physical-to-digital product identity layer. Nine proof-of-concept dashboards are live, including Rebecca Minkoff, Skims, Patagonia, and Reformation. Partnership proposals are out with large enterprise brands, including Levi's.
We are in active dialogue with the National Stewardship Action Council, the authors of SB 707, and the NSAC/SAF Textiles Working Group. We are also in talks with Landbell USA, the designated Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), to become their Preferred Technology Partner. Represented by Gordon Ho of Cooley LLP, currently filing patents, applying to Y Combinator, and other pre-seed investment funds.
RECENT VENTURES
Amalé Technologies
Founder and CEO, 2025 to present
B2B SaaS compliance platform for textile EPR regulation. Nine brand POCs live. Pre-seed raise in progress.
Stick Academy
Founder and Fractional CEO, 2023
Rock star-led music education platform making percussive arts accessible. Built for the next generation of players.
Planetary Chips
Partner and Advisor, 2025
Better-for-you snack brand built on a mission. Advisory equity position supporting go-to-market, brand, and fundraising strategy.
EXPERIENCE
Herb's Cider Inc.
Founder and CEO, 2016 to 2022
Built from zero to $15M valuation, exited via asset sale. Led all functions across brand, operations, distribution, and finance. Awards include 2020 SIP Magazine Best of the Northwest Double Gold and Platinum, and 2020 Cidercraft Awards Double Gold and Platinum.
Non GMO Project
Director of Industry Relations, 2014 to 2015
Expanded industry partnerships and deepened certification infrastructure across the food and consumer goods sector.
LUSH Cosmetics
Director of Sustainability, 2010 to 2014
Led global sustainability strategy for one of the world's most recognized ethical beauty brands. Awarded top 3 of Maclean's Top 30 Greenest Employers in Canada.
Dublin San Ramon Services District
Senior Management Analyst, 2005 to 2006
Public sector operations and policy analysis for a regional utility district. Achieved a $2.7M grant for the first fuel cells in North America.
Earthride
Co-Founder and Director, 2000 to 2003
Environmental education mentorship program in San Francisco's Mission District for disadvantaged youth.
WRITING
The Loop Report: A blog covering circular economy, EPR legislation, and what it actually means to build a sustainable business in 2026 and beyond. It covers the ongoing conversation around compliance and sustainability.
Recent topics include: what brands get wrong about EPR readiness, why SB 707 is the most important legislation most fashion executives have not read, and what circular infrastructure actually looks like in practice.
Previous publications included a regular blog on New Hope Media and Supply Side Food & Beverage.
SPEAKING AND ADVISORY
I have spoken at the Sustainable Brands Conference in San Diego and the Sustainability Summit in New York, sat on the U.S. White House Business Roundtable Energy Council, and chaired the Energy Committee for the Retail Council of Canada. I am a member of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals and the National Textiles Working Group.
I have advised leading brands, including UC Davis, Chipotle, Essex Property Trust, and Niman Ranch. Currently, I serve in an advisory capacity at Planetary Chips and Stick Academy.
CREDENTIALS
MBA, Sustainable Business Management
Mills College
BA, Environmental Studies and Economics
Mills College
Life Coach
Institute for Integrative Nutrition
Lean Six Sigma
Villanova University
CONTACT
Let's talk.
Whether you are a brand navigating SB 707, a conference organizer, an investor or a founder who wants to think something through, my inbox is open.
CONTACT
Let's talk.
Whether you are an investor, a brand navigating SB 707, a conference organizer, or a founder who wants to think something through — my inbox is open.
I am based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
© Shama Alexander | All Rights Reserved 2026