Smartbird CEO Starts AI Venture With No Team Yet

Former Allbirds Becomes AI Company as New CEO Begins Building From Scratch

Smartbird, the company formerly known as Allbirds, has officially entered its next chapter after completing its dramatic shift from footwear to artificial intelligence. While the company now has fresh funding and a new name, its AI business is still in its earliest stages—with no employees and no office yet in place.

Leading the transformation is Nadia Carlsten, who officially started as Smartbird’s CEO after previously serving as an executive at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and later heading European compute company DCAI. Speaking with TechCrunch from Amsterdam, Carlsten said her immediate priority is building the company from the ground up.

According to Carlsten, Smartbird’s first steps include recruiting an entirely new leadership team, hiring key infrastructure specialists, and establishing a physical office. She noted that the company’s footwear business officially closed the previous day, marking the complete end of its former identity.

AI Infrastructure Is the Company’s New Focus

Rather than competing directly with major cloud providers, Smartbird plans to position itself as a specialized AI infrastructure provider. The company wants to serve organizations that need dedicated computing environments to train and operate artificial intelligence models while maintaining full control over their data and hardware.

Carlsten explained that Smartbird’s target customers are businesses that prioritize data sovereignty or require customized AI deployments for operational or regulatory reasons. During her time at DCAI, she worked with organizations such as Novo Nordisk and companies across the pharmaceutical, financial, energy, and public sectors that have similar infrastructure needs.

Instead of offering large-scale shared cloud services, Smartbird intends to provide carefully managed AI compute clusters designed specifically for individual clients.

Building a Different AI Business

Carlsten acknowledged that the market for this type of AI infrastructure is still developing because many businesses remain in the early stages of adopting AI technologies. She also said Smartbird is not trying to compete with hyperscale cloud providers or fast-growing neocloud companies. Instead, it sees internal corporate AI projects as its primary competition.

The market already includes established players such as Hewlett Packard and Equinix, both of which offer managed, single-tenant AI computing services. Even so, Carlsten believes Smartbird can find its own niche.

She expects the company to deploy AI compute clusters for several customers before the end of the year. Unlike startups making massive GPU investments, Smartbird is focused on customers that require hundreds or thousands of chips rather than enormous AI supercomputing clusters.

Carlsten emphasized that the company’s value lies in flexibility and infrastructure control rather than operating the largest GPU fleets or offering the lowest prices.

A Bold Transition From Shoes to AI

Allbirds announced its AI pivot in April, surprising many observers. The company sold its footwear business for $43 million, raised an additional $100 million through the stock market, and rebranded itself as Smartbird.

The move drew comparisons to other public companies that have embraced trending industries to revive investor interest. However, Carlsten insists the strategy was driven by long-term business planning rather than simply following the AI boom.

She said the company’s board carefully evaluated whether Smartbird could establish a sustainable position within the growing AI infrastructure market instead of chasing short-term excitement.

As part of the transition, Smartbird also gave up Allbirds’ Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) status, which had previously reflected the footwear company’s commitment to sustainability. PBC structures are commonly used by businesses to formalize goals beyond financial returns. OpenAI, for example, also operates as a Public Benefit Corporation with an emphasis on AI safety.

Carlsten, who will receive a $700,000 annual salary along with stock valued at approximately $9 million, said the board remains fully committed to executing the company’s AI strategy. While many businesses are entering the AI sector, she believes long-term success will depend on having a clear vision and the resources to turn that vision into reality.

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