CO-FOUNDER

Laena is a multidisciplinary entrepreneur and educator, dubbed "extraordinary" by the New York Times. After launching Anarchy in a Jar in 2009, she helped launch over a dozen startups and non-profits as a leader, instructional designer, growth strategist, advisor, and consultant. She remains an unwavering optimist dedicated to helping people live their best lives through essential skills and sustainable ecosystems.

As a true believer in the power of innovation to make the world a better place, Laena is passionate about creating opportunities for adults and children to learn the tangible skills of equitable entrepreneurship and sustainable network building. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Martha Stewart Show, New York Magazine, Food & Wine, and more. Her cookbook, Jam On: The Craft of Canning Fruit, was published by Penguin Random House in 2012.

Laena graduated magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College, received an MS in Information Science from Pratt Institute, and was awarded the United States Antarctica Service Medal by the Department of Defense for her work with the National Science Foundation.

Laena teaches and consults through a number of platforms, both in-person and virtually, with an array of fantastic companies, from Meta, Deloitte, Google, and Hinge to K-12 schools and adult teaching spaces like the Brooklyn Brainery. See notable success stories and testimonials on our homepage and in the press.