Sougwen Chung
Award-winning media artist exploring Human / Robot Collaboration & Virtual Reality; Artist in Residence at Google, Bell Labs & New Museum
Sophia Amoruso
Founder of Nasty Gal ($100M+) & Girlboss | Managing Partner, Trust Fund | NYT Bestselling Author, #GIRLBOSS | Netflix Series | Angel Investor, 45+ Startups
Sophia Amoruso built Nasty Gal from an eBay store to a $100M fashion empire, wrote the NYT bestseller #GIRLBOSS adapted into a Netflix series, then did something rarer: she failed publicly, rebuilt completely, and came back as a venture investor backed by Marc Andreessen. On stage, she delivers the full story — unfiltered, practical, and unlike anything else on the conference circuit.
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Sophia Amoruso biography
Sophia Amoruso is a serial entrepreneur, venture investor, and New York Times bestselling author who has built, scaled, and reinvented herself across three distinct acts — each one more instructive than the last. She founded Nasty Gal in 2006 at age 22, bootstrapping a vintage eBay store into a fashion e-commerce phenomenon that reached $100 million in revenue, was named one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing retailers, and attracted $60 million in funding from Index Ventures and Thrive Capital. That ascent — from selling thrifted clothes out of a San Francisco apartment to running a nine-figure brand — became the basis for her memoir #GIRLBOSS, which spent 18 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, sold over 500,000 copies, and was adapted into a Netflix series produced by Charlize Theron.
Entrepreneurship speaker Sophia Amoruso is as well known for navigating the full arc of entrepreneurship — including its most difficult chapters — as she is for her early breakthrough. Nasty Gal filed for bankruptcy in 2016, an experience she has spoken about with rare candor and that has shaped the most distinctive element of her value as a speaker and advisor: she has done it all, including the parts most founders quietly dread. That lived credibility is what separates her from the typical success-story circuit.
Her second act was Girlboss, a media company and community platform for ambitious women that she founded in 2017 and grew into a global movement, with the accompanying Girlboss Radio podcast accumulating over 20 million downloads between 2015 and 2020. Her third — and currently most active — chapter is as a venture investor. She deployed over $1 million of personal capital as an angel before formally launching Trust Fund, an early-stage venture firm focused on software that helps people start and run businesses. Trust Fund’s LP roster includes Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, David Sacks, Jason Calacanis, Andrew Chen, Ev Williams, and Paris Hilton, and its portfolio spans companies like Liquid Death, Eight Sleep, Superhuman, and Lovable.
Building for the Next Generation of Founders
In parallel with Trust Fund, Amoruso founded Business Class in 2020 — a digital course and community for entrepreneurs, creatives, and freelancers that has grown to more than 3,500 founders globally. The Girlboss Foundation, which she established to provide grants and support to emerging creative talent, extended her commitment to access and opportunity beyond her own ventures.
As a speaker, Sophia Amoruso delivers what few on the conference circuit can: a complete, unvarnished account of what building a company actually looks like — the viral growth and the bankruptcy, the cultural momentum and the missteps, the reinvention and the hard-won clarity that follows. Her talks on entrepreneurship, brand-building, resilience, and the real mechanics of venture investing resonate with founders, operators, and investors alike, and leave audiences with practical insight grounded in one of the most honest, human entrepreneurial stories of her generation.
Sophia Amoruso Speaking Videos
#GIRLBOSS | Sophia Amoruso | Talks at Google
Sophia Amoruso: Don’t Make The Mistake I Made As A 22-Year-Old ‘Girlboss’
Sophia Amoruso Keynote Topics
Before the venture funding, the Netflix series, and the bestselling book, there was a 22-year-old selling vintage clothes on eBay from a San Francisco apartment. In this signature keynote, Sophia Amoruso traces the real story of Nasty Gal's rise — the instincts, the decisions, the culture-shaping brand moves, and the mistakes — to reveal what it actually takes to build something from nothing into something undeniable. A masterclass in brand-building, customer obsession, and the power of doing things your own way.
Most keynote speakers tell you how they won. Sophia Amoruso tells you what happened after she lost — and why that part of the story matters more. In this candid talk, she unpacks the collapse of Nasty Gal, the lessons she couldn't have learned any other way, and how she used that experience to become a sharper founder, a more honest leader, and a better investor. For any organization navigating uncertainty, setbacks, or the pressure to reinvent, this keynote delivers a framework for turning failure into competitive advantage.
The startup landscape has changed faster than most playbooks can keep up with. As the Managing Partner of Trust Fund — a venture fund backing the software powering the next generation of businesses — Sophia Amoruso offers a ground-level view of what founders are getting right, what investors are looking for, and where the real opportunities are hiding. This keynote is built for operators, investors, and aspiring founders who want to understand what building a scalable company looks like in the current moment, from someone sitting on both sides of the table.
Sophia Amoruso has been a dropout, a shoplifter, a thrift store hunter, a CEO, a bankrupt founder, a media personality, and a venture capitalist — often in ways the world had opinions about. In this keynote, she draws on the full arc of her career to explore what it means to reinvent yourself without losing yourself, how to build a personal brand that can survive both success and failure, and why the most durable careers are built on authenticity rather than performance. Directly relevant for any audience navigating change, identity, or the pressure to constantly evolve.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Sophia Amoruso
Why Sophia Amoruso?
Booking Sophia Amoruso means bringing one of the most honest, experienced, and commercially relevant entrepreneurial voices of her generation to your stage. Unlike speakers who present only the highlight reel, Amoruso speaks from the full arc — the $100 million brand, the bankruptcy, the reinvention, and the venture fund backed by Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon. That rare combination of credibility and candor makes her uniquely compelling for audiences of founders, executives, investors, and creative leaders who are tired of sanitized success narratives. Her talks are practical, energizing, and grounded in real operational experience across e-commerce, media, community-building, and venture capital. Aurum Speakers Bureau is proud to represent her for keynote engagements and fireside chats worldwide.
What is Nasty Gal and how did Sophia Amoruso build it?
Nasty Gal began in 2006 as a vintage clothing store on eBay, launched by Amoruso at age 22 with no outside capital and no formal business education. She personally sourced, styled, photographed, and shipped every item, building a devoted customer base through authentic brand voice and sharp visual identity. By 2011, revenue had grown to nearly $23 million, and by 2012 the brand attracted $60 million in funding from Index Ventures and Thrive Capital, eventually scaling past $100 million in revenue. Inc. Magazine named it one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2016, but Amoruso has been candid that the lessons from that experience are as valuable as anything from the growth years — and they inform everything she does as an investor and educator today.
What is Trust Fund and what does Sophia Amoruso invest in?
Trust Fund is Amoruso's early-stage venture firm, focused exclusively on pre-seed and seed stage software companies that help people start, manage, and scale businesses. It writes checks between $150,000 and $300,000 and does not take board seats. Its LP base includes some of the most respected names in venture capital — Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, David Sacks, Jason Calacanis, Andrew Chen, Ev Williams, and others — and its portfolio includes Liquid Death, Eight Sleep, Superhuman, and Lovable, among 45+ companies. The fund is named ironically, reflecting Amoruso's self-made trajectory and her belief that nobody handed her anything.
What topics does entrepreneurship speaker Sophia Amoruso cover?
Amoruso speaks on entrepreneurship and brand-building from zero, resilience and reinvention after failure, the realities of scaling and fundraising, venture investing and founder support, and the evolution of the creator and startup economies. She is equally at home in a keynote format or a fireside conversation, and her willingness to discuss both her wins and her most public setbacks makes her one of the most trusted and engaging voices available to event organizers. To explore booking Sophia Amoruso through Aurum Speakers Bureau, contact our team for availability and fees.
How to book Sophia Amoruso as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Sophia Amoruso as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Sophia Amoruso's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Sophia Amoruso or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Sophia Amoruso speaking fee?
Sophia Amoruso speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Sophia Amoruso to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Sophia Amoruso.
How can I contact Sophia Amoruso?
We only work with Sophia Amoruso on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Sophia Amoruso and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Sophia Amoruso speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Sophia Amoruso for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Sophia Amoruso for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Sophia Amoruso is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Sophia Amoruso for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
