Jen Rubio

A broken suitcase might’ve made you a billionaire.

At 24, Jen Rubio was traveling the world for work when disaster struck.

Her suitcase broke at the airport, spilling her belongings everywhere.

By 27, that humiliating moment made her realize there was no perfect suitcase on the market.

Alongside her co-founder Stephanie Korey, Jen launched Away in 2016 and redefined travel with sleek, functional, and Instagram-worthy luggage.

Their first product, a carry-on with built-in charging, quickly became a favorite.

Born in the Philippines and raised in New Jersey, she honed her skills as head of social media at Warby Parker and global director of innovation at AllSaints.

These roles helped her master the art of building authentic, design-driven brands that resonate with modern consumers.

Under her leadership, Away grew into a $1.4B business, raising $31M in seed funding.

A record for female-led startups at the time.

The company became synonymous with wanderlust, selling millions of suitcases globally and creating pop-up experiences in cities like Sydney.

But Jen didn’t stop at luggage.

She and her husband (Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield) donated $25M to UNICEF and funded initiatives supporting Latinx art and curators at the Whitney Museum.