Allbirds has officially rebranded as Smartbird, appointing former Amazon Web Services executive Nadia Carlsten as president and CEO. This leadership change solidifies the company’s complete transition from sustainable footwear to AI infrastructure services.
Carlsten brings extensive expertise in artificial intelligence and quantum computing from her tenure at AWS, Alphabet spinoff SandboxAQ, and DCAI. She succeeds Joe Vernachio, who is resigning, while Annie Mitchell remains CFO and Lily Yan Hughes assumes the role of board chair.
Smartbird now operates as a managed service provider for AI infrastructure, aiming to reduce upfront equipment costs for enterprise clients. The firm is currently designing its first cluster deployments and engaging in active discussions with potential customers to capitalize on critical infrastructure demand.
To support this strategic shift, the company expanded its convertible financing agreement from $50 million to $100 million. Proceeds are designated for acquiring graphics processors essential for cloud computing capacity. This follows the March sale of its footwear assets to American Exchange Group for $39 million and the closure of most retail locations.