Jennifer Hyman
{{Short description|American businesswoman}}
{{Infobox person
| image = TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2015 - Day 1 (17184138528).jpg
| caption = Hyman (2015)
| name = Jennifer Hyman
| birth_name =
| birth_date = August 24th, 1980
| spouse =
| children =
| birth_place =
| education = Harvard University (BA, MBA)
| occupation = Businesswoman
}}
Jennifer Hyman is an American businesswoman who the co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Rent the Runway, a company focused on the renting of high-end clothing and accessories.
Early life and education
Jennifer Hyman grew up in New Rochelle, New York, and attended New Rochelle High School. She received her BA in social sciences from Harvard University in 2002.{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jennifer-hyman-rent-the-runway-business-sexism_n_59e13603e4b0a52aca181ab9|title=HuffPost|website=HuffPost|access-date=2017-10-13}}
Hyman later attended Harvard Business School, where she met co-founder of Rent the Runway Jennifer Fleiss, and graduated with an MBA in 2009.{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/harvard-fashion_n_56706992e4b0fccee1702c31
|title=How Two Harvard Grads Made It Possible To Rent The Runway|last=Persad|first=Michelle|date=2015-12-16|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=2019-12-06}}
Career
In November 2008, Hyman first had the idea for Rent the Runway after witnessing her sister agonize over and drop thousands of dollars on a dress for a wedding, only to wear it once.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/technology/09runway.html|title=A Netflix Model For Haute Couture|last=Wortham|first=Jenna|date=2009-11-09|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-12-06|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Hyman co-founded Rent the Runway in 2009.
A highlight in Hyman's career was taking the company public as the 30th women ever to take her company public in history, and being a part of the first company to go public with a female founder/CEO, COO, and CFO.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-30 |title=How Rent the Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman Built a 'Willy Wonka Land of Fashion' |url=https://www.elle.com/fashion/a41316519/jennifer-hyman-career-rent-the-runway/ |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=ELLE |language=en-us}}
Prior to the founding of Rent the Runway, Jennifer ran an online advertising sales team for weddingchannel.com and worked as an in-house entrepreneur for the Starwood Hotel where she was responsible for creating the hotel’s first wedding business. Following that, she served as the director of business development for IMG’s fashion division.{{Cite web |title=Jennifer Hyman {{!}} BoF 500 {{!}} The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/jennifer-hyman |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=The Business of Fashion |date=11 November 2022 |language=en-GB}}
Hyman participates in national conferences and panel discussions regarding topics covering the economy, women in business and company culture. Some of her past speaking engagements include NRF Foundation's "Retail’s Big Show"Davis, Ellen, [http://blog.nrf.com/2013/02/19/in-their-own-words-highlights-from-retails-big-show-student-program-2013/ "In their own words: Highlights from Retail's BIG Show Student Program 2013"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709080623/http://blog.nrf.com/2013/02/19/in-their-own-words-highlights-from-retails-big-show-student-program-2013/ |date=2013-07-09 }}, "Retail's BIG Blog", February 19, 2013 WWD's Digital ForumSteigrad, Alexandra, [http://www.wwd.com/images/processed/summits/pdf/2013/WWD_Digital_Winter_2013.pdf "Making the Right Impression"], "WWD", February 14, 2013 and the 99U Conference.[http://99u.com/videos/7228/neil-blumenthal-jenn-hyman-why-transparency-openness-wins "Neil Blumenthal & Jenn Hyman: Why Transparency & Openness Wins"], "99U"
Hyman has spoken out publicly against sexual harassment in the tech industry and went public with her own experience on CNBC's Squawk Alley in July 2017.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/17/rent-the-runway-ceo-jennifer-hyman-on-sexual-harassment-in-tech.html|title=This start-up CEO says she was harassed — and she's calling on VCs to fix the problem in tech|last=Balakrishnan|first=Anita|date=2017-07-17|work=CNBC|access-date=2017-10-19}}
Hyman serves on the Board of Directors of the Estée Lauder Companies,{{Cite web|url=https://www.elcompanies.com/en/who-we-are/leadership/board-of-directors|title=Board of Directors|website=www.elcompanies.com|language=en|access-date=2019-04-25}} and on the Women.nyc Advisory Board.{{Cite web|url=https://women.nyc/news_feed/board-announcement/|title=New women.nyc advisory board enlists dynamic NYC leaders to further women's economic advancement|website=women.nyc|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-25|archive-date=2019-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424151626/https://women.nyc/news_feed/board-announcement/|url-status=dead}}
Personal life
Hyman met her husband, Benjamin Stauffer, a television and film editor, on the dating app Hinge. They were married in January 2018.{{Citation |last=Haude |first=Katharina |title="She kisses her late husband" = "She kissed her husband": nominal tense in Movima |date=2010-12-13 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9783110228557.95 |work=Rara & Rarissima |pages=95–116 |access-date=2023-11-10 |publisher=DE GRUYTER MOUTON |doi=10.1515/9783110228557.95 |isbn=978-3-11-022854-0|url-access=subscription }}
Awards and recognition
- Fortune magazine's 40 Under 40 in 2012[https://money.cnn.com/gallery/magazines/fortune/2012/10/11/40-under-40.fortune/29.html "40 Under 40"], "Fortune", October 17, 2012 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014010913/http://money.cnn.com/gallery/magazines/fortune/2012/10/11/40-under-40.fortune/29.html |date=October 14, 2012 }}
- Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2019{{Cite magazine|title=Jennifer Hyman: The 100 Most Influential People of 2019|url=https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567849/jennifer-hyman/|access-date=2020-09-22|magazine=TIME|language=en-us}}
- People Magazine's 2020 Women Changing the World{{Cite web |title=Rent the Runway Founder Jennifer Hyman Says Inventory Snafus Last Fall Were 'Humbling' |url=https://people.com/style/rent-the-runway-founder-jennifer-hyman-talks-inventory-issues/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121014133336/http://mariashriver.com/blog/2012/02/jennifer-hyman-and-jennifer-fleiss-founders-rent-runway Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss, Founders of Rent the Runway] on Maria Shriver's website
- [https://www.bloomberg.com/video/mystery-guest-rent-the-runway-ceo-jennifer-hyman-43k5wGHdS8ujrXKiVuNq8w.html Mystery Guest: `Rent The Runway' CEO Jennifer Hyman] on Bloomberg TV
- [https://www.npr.org/2017/09/21/541686055/rent-the-runway-jenn-hyman How I Built This - Rent the Runway: Jenn Hyman] (NPR podcast)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyman, Jennifer}}
Category:Businesspeople from New York City
Category:American businesspeople in fashion
Category:American women chief executives
Category:American technology chief executives
Category:Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York
Category:Harvard Business School alumni
Category:People from Greenwich Village
Category:American women company founders
Category:American company founders
Category:21st-century American women