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Never miss an episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, a podcast brought to you by Amazon and SFBT. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the latest episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, Alison Neri, founder and owner of online boutique Ruby’s Old and New, shares her journey from lawyer to business owner.

“I found my way back into retail after many years and learned that I liked it enough to have my own shop, and that became the dream,” Neri said about stepping away from her legal career.

Ruby’s Old and New offers vintage items, home décor, gifts and paper goods, often from independent artists and small-batch makers. Neri runs the boutique alongside her cousin-in-law and best friend Joy Neri, who helps with photography.

The conversation explores how Amazon programs helped the business test new retail concepts, gain customer insights and expand to in-person pop-up shops.

Learn more about Amazon’s support for small businesses.

Never miss an episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, a podcast brought to you by Amazon and SFBT. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the latest episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, Union Square Alliance CEO Marisa Rodriguez joins Amazon Community Engagement Manager Dean Allsopp to discuss the power of public-private partnerships to revitalize downtown San Francisco.

Learn how businesses, nonprofits and civic organizations collaborate to strengthen Union Square through community events, public safety initiatives and economic development efforts. The conversation highlights programs such as Tulip Day and Winter Walk, along with investments designed to increase foot traffic, support small businesses and enhance the visitor experience.

“Clean and safe matters,” Rodriguez says. “We want to do all of this and feel good in our environments, and we can have that while also still being very compassionate.”

Rodriguez and Allsopp also share their vision for San Francisco’s future and explain why long-term partnerships, innovation and community engagement remain essential to the city’s continued growth.

Learn more about Amazon’s commitment to local communities.

Never miss an episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, a podcast brought to you by Amazon and SFBT. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the latest episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, Jane Ip, operations manager at Amazon’s DFA5 fulfillment center, discusses her unexpected career path from part-time delivery driver to operations leader.

A Bay Area native, Ip picked up a second job in college at an Amazon delivery service partner. She rose through the ranks quickly after managers noticed her strong work ethic. Nine years later, Ip now helps develop future leaders.

Amazon emphasizes workforce development and internal mobility, Ip says, particularly through its culture of continuous improvement — a “Day One” mindset that encourages taking risks and embracing opportunity.

“I’ve always been a shy person, not very outgoing, and something that I've learned working within the company is you have to be uncomfortable,” Ip says. “That's how you grow within yourself. Something that I promised myself this year is to continue to do uncomfortable things to keep growing.”

Ip also shares how employee feedback drives innovation, and how she mentors Amazon’s next generation of talent.

Learn more about Amazon careers in the Bay Area.

Never miss an episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, a podcast brought to you by Amazon and SFBT. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the latest episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, Albert Javar, founder of Remix Logistix, describes his journey from homelessness to business owner.

Javar shares how he rebuilt his life in the Bay Area after leaving college, starting as a delivery driver and working his way up before launching Remix Logistix through Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner program.

Javar represents one of the more than 180,000 indirect jobs Amazon has created in California in industries such as construction, logistics and professional services.

Javar also discusses Amazon’s role in helping small business owners scale, the importance of investing in people and how his early struggles shaped his leadership philosophy.

"Those really tough, humble times made me the capable leader that I am today," Javar said.

Learn more about Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner program.

Never miss an episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, a podcast brought to you by Amazon and SFBT. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

The inspiration for Oakland-based superfood company Kuli Kuli came to Lisa Curtis when she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, Africa.

A vegetarian, Curtis found herself eating a diet of mostly carbohydrates, and asked women at the village health center how to increase her protein and nutrient intake. The answer: mixing the leaves from a moringa plant into a popular peanut snack called Kuli Kuli.

“It was the most transformational impact I've ever had,” Curtis says. “It gave me more energy. I felt like my digestion improved. It was just incredible.”

Kuli Kuli now offers moringa and other climate-smart superfoods as powders, capsules and gummies in about 11,000 stores and online.

Curtis shares her journey to entrepreneurship in the premiere episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco.

Listen to learn more about how she built ethical supply chains with small farming communities, navigated early funding challenges and leveraged consumer research to refine products.

Curtis also discusses the pivotal role Amazon played in accelerating e-commerce growth and providing real time customer insights. In 2025, Amazon independent sellers in California saw about $440,000 in average sales, with more than 831 million items sold, according to data from Amazon. Additionally, more than 60% of sales on the e-commerce platform come from small to medium-sized businesses like Kuli Kuli.

Learn more about Amazon’s e-commerce services for small businesses.

Innovating Forward in San Francisco is a podcast about people, progress and possibility in the Bay Area. The podcast highlights Amazon’s investments in the Bay Area through community partnerships, workforce development and support for small businesses. From community impact to individual career journeys, Innovating Forward in San Francisco offers an inside look at how collaboration and innovation can strengthen a regional economy, and help people and businesses move forward together. New episodes drop monthly. Subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.