Kiran Amarnathan was born and raised in Bengaluru. On completing her graduation in mass communication and psychology, she moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in film-making. After working for 10 years in the advertising and film world, she made a career switch to the sustainability sector in search of more fulfilling work. She then worked at Daily Dump, a solid waste management company based out of Bengaluru, first as Outreach Manager and then as Head of Operations.