Shay Sethi

Shay Sethi is the CEO and Co-founder of Ambercycle, a Los Angeles-based materials science company pioneering molecular regeneration technology to decarbonize the fashion industry. Since launching Ambercycle in 2015, Shay has led the company’s evolution from a lab-bench experiment to a globally recognized solution shaping the future of circular fashion. 

While studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UC Davis, Shay identified a problem that requires a technological yet consumer-led solution. He entered the field with clear conviction: if fashion is one of the world’s most polluting industries, reinventing its material systems isn’t optional, it’s essential. Ambercycle was born from the belief that solving fashion’s waste problem would require more than incremental change but a long-term playbook and ecosystem. Rather than retrofitting broken infrastructure, Shay set out to build an entirely new model from the ground up—one rooted in science, engineered for scale, and designed to power a circular economy. 

A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Shay has received global recognition for his leadership in circular innovation. Under his leadership, Ambercycle’s breakthrough material, cycora®, was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024 for its ability to transform end-of-life textiles into premium regenerated polyester. Today, cycora® is used by global brands including Inditex, GANNI, Arc’teryx, GAP’s Athleta, Reformation, and more. Ambercycle’s pioneering work has earned it a Global Change Award from the H&M Foundation, as well as support from leading platforms such as the US National Science Foundation, Y Combinator, and Fashion for Good.