his award-winning entrepreneur speaks with heart, cutting insight and unflinching determination about how to achieve and innovate when you're out of your comfort zone. From leading a start-up through acquisition to serving on the Board of Directors of a publicly-traded company, Tyler uses his diverse experience to share potent insights about how to thrive at the edge and get results in unexpected, challenging environments.

Since the age of 19, Tyler has been studying native plants and languages with indigenous elders in the Amazon rainforest. After graduating from Brown University, Tyler turned down a Fulbright grant to start RUNA, a social enterprise that makes clean energy drinks with guayusa, a rare Amazonian leaf, and improves livelihoods for thousands of indigenous farming families in Ecuador. With the help of investors like Channing Tatum and Leonardo DiCaprio, Runa has become a thriving, multimillion-dollar company and was acquired by VitaCoco in June of 2018.
Tyler was named a Forbes "30 Under 30 Entrepreneur" and winner of both the Big Apple Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Specialty Food Association's Citizen Leader of the Year Award. CBS This Morning, ABC Nightline, National Geographic and Richard Branson's book "Screw Business As Usual" have all featured Tyler for his unique and powerful approach to building businesses and creating social good.

In his book "Fully Alive: Using the Lessons of the Amazon to Live Your Mission in Business & Life," Tyler demonstrates how we can dig deeper to bring greater meaning and purpose to our personal and professional pursuits.

Tyler currently serves as a Managing Director for Terrafertil, the largest natural foods in Latin America, and has worked as the Chief Development Officer for the company. Terrafertil acquired Essential Living Foods in the US in 2017 and then Nestle acquired all of Terrafertil in 2018.

Tyler also serves on the Advisory Council for Entrepreneurship at Brown University and advises, invests in and supports other start-ups. He lives in Bellingham, Washington with his wife and daughter, and enjoys backpacking, riding his unicycle and practicing yoga.