Jen Rubio
{{COI|date=November 2024}}
{{short description|American businesswoman}}
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| name = Jennifer Rubio
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| birth_place = Philippines
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| education = Penn State University
| occupation = Businesswoman, CEO
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| known_for = Co-founder of Away
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| spouse = Stewart Butterfield
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Jennifer Rubio is an American businesswoman. She is the co-founder, president, and chief executive officer of Away, a luggage manufacturer and retailer.{{Cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/24/news/companies/away-jen-rubio-steph-korey-travel-fresh-money/index.html|title=The founders of Away changed the luggage industry after a travel mishap|last=Garcia|first=Ahiza|work=CNNMoney|access-date=2018-10-21}} Rubio was head of social media at Warby Parker{{Cite news|url=https://digiday.com/marketing/inside-aways-instagram-strategy/|title=Inside Away's Instagram strategy - Digiday|date=2017-08-14|work=Digiday|access-date=2018-10-21|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3063299/save-your-money-skip-the-mba-and-go-to-startup-grad-school-instead|title=Save Your Money, Skip The MBA, And Go To Startup Grad School Instead|date=2016-08-31|work=Fast Company|access-date=2018-10-21|language=en-US}} and global director of innovation at fashion company AllSaints.{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-dunn/women-in-business-qa-jen_b_11811390.html|title=Women in Business Q&A: Jen Rubio and Steph Korey, Founders, Away|last=Dunn|first=Laura Emily|date=2016-09-01|website=Huffington Post|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-21}}
Early life
Rubio was born in the Philippines, and moved to New Jersey when she was seven years old.{{Cite news|url=https://www.girlboss.com/work/2016-10-18-portrait-of-a-girlboss-why-former-away-co-founders-steph-korey-and-jen-rubio-want-to-change-the-way-you-travel|title=Portrait of a Girlboss: Away Co-Founders Steph Korey & Jen Rubio|date=2016-10-18|work=Girlboss|access-date=2018-10-21|language=en-US}} She grew up traveling, and lived in seven cities on three continents.{{Cite web|url=http://thestyleline.com/away-travel/|title=Away Travel|website=thestyleline.com|access-date=2018-10-21}} When she was young, Rubio bought a lemonade stand from another child who lived on her street for $20 which she borrowed from her father. She has called it her first merger and acquisition. Rubio later went on to attend college at Penn State University, where she pursued a supply-chain management major. She was placed at Johnson & Johnson as part of Penn State's co-op program.{{cite web |last1=Raz |first1=Guy |title=How I Built This Podcast |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/03/08/701651787/away-jen-rubio |website=NPR |publisher=National Public Radio |access-date=2 April 2019}} After discovering her desire to be a businesswoman, Rubio dropped out of Penn State just a few credits shy of graduating, in order to pursue a full-time role at Neutrogena, a company with whom she did another co-op.
Career
In 2011, Rubio joined Warby Parker, leading the company's early content and partnership work as its head of social media.{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/tech/jen-rubio-away-travel-women-in-tech-a3801231.html|title=Away: the Glossier of the travel world|work=Evening Standard|access-date=2018-10-21|language=en-GB}} She met Away co-founder Stephanie Korey during her time at Warby Parker.{{Cite news|url=https://www.wallpaper.com/design/away-is-a-new-start-up-putting-a-design-spin-on-luggage|title=On a roll: Away is the new start-up putting a design spin on luggage|last=Magazine|first=Wallpaper*|date=2016-01-12|work=Wallpaper*|access-date=2018-10-21}} In 2013, she left Warby Parker and went to London,{{Cite news|url=https://baomoi.com/khoi-nghiep-tu-chiec-vali/c/24102593.epi|title=Khởi nghiệp từ chiếc vali|last=BAOMOI.COM|date=2017-11-28|work=BAOMOI.COM|access-date=2018-10-21|language=vi}}{{Cite news|url=http://vietnambiz.vn/co-gai-nay-ra-y-tuong-trieu-do-khi-vali-hanh-ly-vo-tan-38650.html|title=Cô gái nảy ra ý tưởng 'triệu đô' khi vali hành lý vỡ tan {{!}} VietnamBiz|last=VietnamBiz|date=2017-11-28|work=VietnamBiz|access-date=2018-10-21|language=vi-VN}} where she was global director of innovation for clothing brand AllSaints.{{Cite web|url=http://nycventurefellows.org/2016-fellows/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220081242/http://nycventurefellows.org/2016-fellows/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 20, 2015|title=2016 Fellows - NYC Venture Fellows|website=nycventurefellows.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-21}} She spent much of a year traveling for the position.{{Cite web|url=https://qz.com/687292/two-warby-parker-alums-have-created-an-affortable-phone-charging-carry-on-and-its-pretty-cool/|title=Two Warby Parker alums created an affordable, phone-charging carry-on and it's great|last=Avins|first=Jenni|website=Quartz|date=21 May 2016 |language=en|access-date=2019-06-06}}
Before Warby Parker, Rubio held different marketing and social media roles, working for brands on the agency side and in-house.{{Cite news|url=https://www.mydomaine.com/jen-rubio-interview--5ad8f010cfcf7|title="My Career Path Hasn't Been Linear by Any 'Traditional' Standards"|last=Beauchamp|first=Megan|work=MyDomaine|access-date=2018-10-21|language=en}} She also taught social media as an adjunct professor at Miami Ad School.{{Cite web|url=http://wearenytech.com/85-jen-rubio-digital-strategist-at-carrot-creative-co-founder-at-gourmetlend|title=Jen Rubio - Digital Strategist at Carrot Creative, Co-founder at GourmetLend - We Are NY Tech|website=wearenytech.com|access-date=2019-06-06}} She has been a guest lecturer at Hyper Island, New York University, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.{{Cite web|url=https://schedule.sxsw.com/2017/speakers/5444|title=Jessica Toonkel|website=SXSW 2019 Schedule|language=en|access-date=2019-06-06}}
Rubio co-founded Away, a direct-to-consumer travel and luggage company, with Stephanie Korey, who also worked at Warby Parker.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2016/03/14/former-warby-parker-execs-take-it-away-with-direct.html|title=Former Warby Parker execs take it away with direct|website=www.bizjournals.com|access-date=2018-10-21}} By 2017, Rubio and Korey had raised $31 million, making it one of the largest seed financed female-backed startups.{{Cite news|url=http://fortune.com/2017/10/18/this-ceo-is-leading-a-new-wave-of-female-entrepreneurs/|title=This CEO Is Leading a New Wave of Female Entrepreneurs|work=Fortune|access-date=2018-10-21|language=en}}
Personal life
In May 2019, Rubio got engaged to her boyfriend, Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-power-couple-stewart-butterfield-jen-rubio-slack-away-2019-6|title=Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield is newly engaged to a woman who runs a $1.4 billion startup. Inside the relationship of Silicon Valley's newest 'it' power couple.|last=Perino|first=Marissa|website=Business Insider|date=30 January 2019 |access-date=2019-07-02}} They married in 2020 and share two children.{{Cite news |last=Clarke |first=Katherine |date=February 9, 2023 |title=Silicon Valley's Newest 'It' Couple Is Going Big on Real Estate. Here's How They've Spent $140 Million. |url=https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/luxury-homes/stewart-butterfield-slack-jen-rubio-away-homes-11675953066 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century American businesswomen
Category:21st-century American businesspeople