How a Broken Suitcase Built a $100M Empire in 3 Years ✈️💼

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Hey Deal Lift crew!

Building a $100M business in three years? That’s already a flex. But doing it in one of the most competitive markets in the world? That’s next-level. 🚀

Meet Jen Rubio & Steph Korey—the powerhouse duo behind Away, the stylish, Instagram-famous suitcase brand that took over airports and social media feeds alike. But their journey wasn’t just first-class luxury; it was filled with turbulence, hard landings, and a pandemic-sized nosedive. Buckle up—this story is a wild ride. 🎢

The Hustle Started Early 💰

Jen Rubio has always been about the grind. Born in the Philippines and raised in New Jersey, she made her first “business deal” at just 7 years old, when she bought a lemonade stand from another kid for $20 (borrowed from her dad). ROI? Unknown. Hustler mindset? Locked in. 💼

She later attended Penn State but pulled a classic founder move—dropping out just shy of graduation to work at Neutrogena. From there, she bounced through various roles before joining Warby Parker in 2011 as Head of Social Media, where she met Steph Korey, the company’s Head of Supply Chain.

The Suitcase That Started It All 🎒

Fast forward to 2015. Jen was at an airport in Switzerland when disaster struck—her suitcase completely broke apart. Clothes, toiletries, total chaos. 🤦‍♀️ Struggling to find a replacement that was both high-quality and affordable, she had a lightbulb moment.💡

She called up Steph, and together, they launched Away with $150,000 from friends and family. They hired an industrial designer, flew to a factory in China, and started sketching out their dream suitcase. 20 prototypes later, the first-ever Away Carry-On was born—a sleek, hard-shell suitcase with built-in charging ports for your phone. Game. Changer. 🎮

How They Blew Up So Fast 📈

With the 2015 holiday season approaching, they weren’t ready to ship, so they took pre-orders instead. Spoiler: demand exploded. They raised another $2.5M pre-launch to fund production, and by 2016, Away suitcases were shipping out like crazy. 📦

• First-year sales? $12M. 🤯

• By 2018? $150M per year. 💰

• 2019? A $100M funding round at a $1.4B valuation. 🤑

Away mastered Instagram marketing, partnering with influencers and making their suitcases a status symbol for travelers. If you scrolled through Instagram back then, you couldn’t escape Away ads.

And then… 2020 hit. 😬

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The Crash Landing 💥

The pandemic wrecked the travel industry, and Away’s sales plummeted 90% overnight. As if that wasn’t enough, the company faced a major scandal—employees accused CEO Steph Korey of fostering a toxic work culture. The drama was straight out of a Netflix show. 😳

• Steph stepped down, then came back, then left again.

• Lululemon’s former COO stepped in.

• Jen took over as CEO.

Since then, Away has struggled to regain its momentum, just like many DTC brands of that era. But here’s the thing—they built something incredible. They didn’t invent the suitcase, but they made it better. And sometimes, that’s all you need to win big. 🏆

The Takeaway (Pun Intended) 🧳

👉 Innovation doesn’t mean invention—it means making something better. 👉 Branding is everything. If people love your product, they’ll sell it for you. 👉 Timing is key. The world changes fast—stay ready.

Jen and Steph hacked the luggage industry in just three years, proving that if you execute the right way, even a “boring” product can become a $100M sensation.

So, what’s your “broken suitcase” moment? Maybe it’s time to build something big. 🚀

What’s your next big move, Deal Lift fam? Drop us a line—we’re dying to hear!

Catch you in the next one,
Your Deal Lift Squad