# Jennifer Hyman

> Jennifer Hyman is an American entrepreneur and the CEO of Babylist, a role she assumed on September 9, 2026. She co-founded Rent the Runway with Jennifer Fleiss in 2009, led its expansion from event rentals to wardrobe subscriptions, and took it public in 2021. She stepped down as Rent the Runway CEO, president and director in May 2026 and remains an adviser during the transition.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Babylist
- **Organizations:** Babylist, Rent the Runway, The Estée Lauder Companies, Zalando (former supervisory board member), Starwood Hotels & Resorts (former employer), WeddingChannel.com (former employer), IMG (former employer)
- **From:** New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies, Harvard University, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded Rent the Runway and led it to a 2021 IPO., Expanded designer clothing rental into a monthly wardrobe subscription., TIME 100 honoree in 2019.

## Career timeline

- **2002-2005** — Worked in leisure program development at Starwood Hotels & Resorts; developed a honeymoon registry.
- **2005-2006** — Senior Manager, Sales at WeddingChannel.com.
- **2006-2007** — Director of Business Development at IMG.
- **2008** — Conceived fashion rental after a Thanksgiving conversation with her sister Becky.
- **2009** — Completed her MBA and launched Rent the Runway with Jennifer Fleiss.
- **2016** — Introduced the Unlimited monthly clothing subscription.
- **2018** — Joined The Estée Lauder Companies board.
- **2019** — Named to TIME 100; Rent the Runway reached a $1 billion valuation.
- **2021** — Led Rent the Runway through its IPO.
- **2025** — Led Rent the Runway during a recapitalization completed in October.
- **2026-05** — Stepped down as Rent the Runway CEO, president and director, effective May 15; retained as adviser through January 2027.
- **2026-09** — Became Babylist CEO on September 9; Natalie Gordon became executive chair.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Rent the Runway and led it to a 2021 IPO.
- Expanded designer clothing rental into a monthly wardrobe subscription.
- TIME 100 honoree in 2019.
- Fortune 40 Under 40 honoree in 2012.
- Appointed Babylist CEO in 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Discussed Babylist’s new New York showroom and growth targets on Bloomberg’s The Close on October 5, as listed by Babylist’s press page.
- **2026-09** — Started as Babylist CEO September 9; the company opened its 20,000-square-foot SoHo showroom September 25.
- **2026-07** — Babylist announced her appointment July 29. She also notified Estée Lauder of a planned board retirement effective November 16, 2026.
- **2026-05** — Left Rent the Runway’s CEO, president and director roles May 15; agreed to advise through January 2027.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-hyman-14970017
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Jenn_RTR
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferyael/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenn_hyman

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jennifer-hyman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23