# Shama Hyder

> Shama Hyder is an Indian-born American entrepreneur, author and keynote speaker based in Miami. She founded Zen Media, led the B2B marketing and PR firm for 17 years and exited in 2025. Her current work includes leading Hyder Ground, teaching at the Link School of Business and helping business leaders apply AI through Rewired. She was named to the 2026 TIME100 Creators list.

- **Role:** CEO at Hyder Ground; Professor of Practice at Link School of Business
- **Organizations:** Hyder Ground, Zen Media (founder and former CEO), Link School of Business, Wispr Flow (Applied AI Evangelist), Aspen Institute (Henry Crown Fellow), Roster & Co. (announced as co-founder and CEO in July 2026)
- **Nationality:** American (Indian-born)
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in corporate communication, The University of Texas at Austin, MA in Organizational Communication, The University of Texas at Austin
- **Known for:** Founded and led Zen Media for 17 years before her 2025 exit., Named to the 2026 TIME100 Creators list in the Leaders category., Selected as a Henry Crown Fellow in 2022.

## Career timeline

- **Childhood** — Moved from India to the United States at age nine; grew up in an entrepreneurial family.
- **2006** — Completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin and continued into graduate study.
- **2007** — Attended New Media Expo as part of her research into Twitter.
- **2008** — Founded the business that became Zen Media with $1,500, after a job search involving 18 rejections.
- **2010** — The Zen of Social Media Marketing was first published.
- **2016** — Published Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age.
- **2022** — Selected for the Aspen Institute’s Henry Crown Fellowship.
- **2025-04** — Exited Zen Media after 17 years leading the company.
- **2025-09** — Zen Media announced its acquisition of Optimum7; Duran Inci became CEO and Hyder was named chief visionary officer.
- **2026-07** — Named to the TIME100 Creators list in the Leaders category.
- **2026-10** — Her Rewired program listed an October 13 start for its third cohort.

## Achievements

- Founded and led Zen Media for 17 years before her 2025 exit.
- Named to the 2026 TIME100 Creators list in the Leaders category.
- Selected as a Henry Crown Fellow in 2022.
- Author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing and Momentum.
- Delivered more than 500 keynotes across 26 countries, according to her current Inc. biography.
- Included on Inc.’s 2025 Female Founders 500 list.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Rewired listed a third cohort starting October 13, with six live sessions and 20 seats.
- **2026-09** — Published “The Economy is Turning into a Donut. So is your Company.” on LinkedIn on September 21.
- **2026-08** — Discussed hospitality, reputation, entrepreneurship and voice-based AI workflows in an American Bazaar interview published August 10.
- **2026-07** — Named to the TIME100 Creators list; her July announcement also described her role as Applied AI Evangelist at Wispr Flow and her Link School teaching role.

## Links

- Website: https://shamahyder.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamahyder/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Shama
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/shamatv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shamahyder/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shamahyderpage
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shama

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shama-hyder
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25