Sophia Amoruso

Sophia Christina Amoruso (born April 20, 1984) is an American businesswoman. Amoruso founded Nasty Gal, a women's fast fashion retailer, which went on to be named one of "the fastest growing companies" by Inc. Magazine in 2012. In 2016, she was named one of the richest self-made women in the world by Forbes. However, in 2016, Nasty Gal filed for bankruptcy.

In 2017, Amoruso founded Girlboss Media, a company that creates content for women in the millennial generation to progress as people in their personal and professional life.

Her 2014 autobiography #GIRLBOSS was adapted into the Netflix series Girlboss.

Early life Amoruso was born In 1984 in San Diego, California at Sharp Memorial Hospital. She grew up in the suburbs and wanted to leave home because her parents did not get along. She was raised in the Greek Orthodox church. followed by various odd jobs, including working in a bookstore and a record shop. After high school, her parents divorced and she moved to Sacramento, California, to live a freer lifestyle.

As a young adult, Amoruso lived a nomadic lifestyle, hitchhiking on the West Coast, dumpster diving, and stealing. In 2003, while living in Portland, Oregon, she stopped stealing after being caught shoplifting.

Career As of 2025, Amoruso is the founder and managing partner of Trust Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in pre-seed and seed-stage startups.

eBay store At age 22, while working as a security guard at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Amoruso started an eBay store called Nasty Gal Vintage. The name was inspired by a 1975 album by funk singer Betty Davis. The store sold vintage clothing and other secondhand items. The first item she sold was a book she had taken as a teenager. and by 2006, Nasty Gal Vintage had grown significantly. After six years, it generated about $1 million in annual revenue. In 2008, Amoruso was banned from eBay for including hyperlinks in customer feedback. She later launched Nasty Gal as a standalone online retail website. Amoruso has said she chose to leave eBay due to policies that prevented sellers from leaving negative feedback for buyers. She was also accused of artificially increasing bids, a claim she has denied.

Nasty Gal Nasty Gal developed an online following of young women on social media. It quickly grew with revenues increasing from $223,000 in 2008 to almost $23 million in 2011. The New York Times has called her "a Cinderella of tech". Also, in 2013, Business Insider named Sophia Amoruso one of the sexiest CEOs alive.

In 2014, Amoruso's autobiography #GIRLBOSS was published by Portfolio, a Penguin imprint that specializes in books about business. In 2016, it was announced that Netflix would be adapting her autobiography into a television series called Girlboss. Amoruso confirms most of the show was accurate to her life. It was cancelled after one season, as it got a sour response from viewers, saying it was a call to millennial narcissists.

In an interview with Dan Schawbel of Forbes, Amoruso admitted that she was unprepared for the demands of being a CEO, having had no previous leadership experience, and advised that people seeking to launch a business first gain managerial experience at established companies.

On January 12, 2015, Amoruso announced she was stepping down as CEO of Nasty Gal, knowing the company could not continue under the current leadership. In November 2016, the company was reported to be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with Amoruso resigning as executive chairwoman. The reason for this bankruptcy can be pointed to leadership changes, a "toxic work culture", and poor communication, among other faults. In February 2017, the Boohoo Group purchased Nasty Gal for $20 million, with Nasty Gal remaining in Los Angeles and continuing to produce apparel, shoes, and accessories under its own brand. Since 2017, Amoruso has held Girlboss Rallies, which are weekend-long instructional events for young entrepreneurs for around $500–$1400.

Filmography