About

Sway's story begins along the coast of California, where the forest meets the sea.

That’s where I spent my childhood climbing trees, collecting hermit crabs, and playing jump rope with long strands of kelp. My love for nature led me to explore incredible ecosystems all over the world. The more I saw, the more awestruck I was by our planet’s beauty – but also by the ubiquity of plastics spoiling and disfiguring even the most remote corners of Earth.

As a designer building brands and packaging systems, I was intimately aware of the challenges facing brands as they made attempts to do better. Thin-film plastics and their reusable, recyclable, and commercially compostable alternatives just don't cut it! I became deeply familiar with the gambit of existing regenerative materials – mycelium, scoby, microalgae, agricultural waste – and identified seaweed as the gamechanging resource that could entirely disrupt the plastics industry.

My co-founders and I built Sway with the vision of creating a truly regenerative future. We've traveled all over the world visiting seaweed farms, explored regions of the world most affected by plastic waste, and met with biomaterial innovators across borders and backgrounds. And now, we’ve built a team of remarkable individuals to bring seaweed replacements for plastics to market.

Let's make waves.

Julia Marsh
Sway CEO & Co-Founder

Our Team

Plastic pollution bears immense consequences across human and natural systems. To solve them, we believe that we must unite a team that is just as diverse. Our team includes material engineers, supply chain enthusiasts, product designers, and environmentalists. We've each found ourselves confronted with the same frustrations around plastic packaging – and the drive to do something about it.

Julia Marsh

CEO & CO-FOUNDER

Julia is a designer and creative director with over a decade of experience building brands and packaging systems. She is led by the belief that collaboration will lead to practical solutions for the planet’s greatest challenges.

Matt Mayes

COO & CO-FOUNDER

Matt's career has centered around improving the environmental, economic, and social sustainability practices of major organizations. In addition to keeping the Sway ship afloat, you'll find him in the backcountry, camera in hand.

Leland Maschmeyer

CO-FOUNDER & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Leland is the former Chief Brand Officer of Chobani where he led product innovation and expansion, marketing modernization, and business transformation. He's also a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

Matt Catarino

LEAD MATERIALS ENGINEER

Matt is a chemical and materials science engineer, with industry experience in polymer extrusion and material development. He is in charge of all things R&D at Sway, and also serves as our resident cat person.

Emily Nicholson

STRATEGIC SOURCING LEAD

Emily’s background is in supply chain innovation in both Argentina and the Dominican Republic. She’s largely responsible for the connections Sway is forming with seaweed farmers, processors, and their communities.

Russell Reed

PARTNERSHIPS & IMPACT LEAD

Russell is invested in fostering a more inclusive global environmental movement through community-driven innovation. At Sway, he leads strategic partnerships, impact initiatives, and communications.

Dennis Blanco

SUPPLY OPERATIONS LEAD

Dennis spent the last decade developing products, brands, and supply chains for e-commerce driven companies. At Sway, he's scaling our supply chain and designing a model for regenerative business. In his spare time, you'll find him on the high seas.

Danielle Zola

SUPPLY CHAIN ADVISOR

Danielle spent years developing scalable, sustainable packaging and sourcing solutions for CLIF before joining our team. She helps guide supply chain innovation at Sway, and is best known for running marathons and organizing trash clean ups.

Amanda Guan

MATERIALS INTERN

Amanda is a masters student studying material science and engineering at UC Berkeley. She's passionate about the intersection between a circular economy and environmental justice, reflected in her work around nontoxic materials!

Alyssa Pace

COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR

Alyssa is a communications professional who is passionate about building a regenerative future through community building, connection, and engagement. She writes and designs strategic content for Sway to strengthen partner relationships.

Niall Collins

SUSTAINABILITY ADVISOR

Niall supports sustainability strategy and reporting at Sway. His goal is to help shift industries away from fossil-based and resource-intensive supply chains and toward regenerative practices. He's also an avid sailor!