Jayna Cooke is a successful entrepreneur, corporate executive, and investor who has spent the last decade launching and scaling technology businesses. Most recently, Jayna’s leadership as CEO of EVENTup, an online marketplace that helps companies find the perfect venue for events, led to the rapid growth and successful acquisition of the company within four years. Prior to her work at EVENTup, Jayna served as Vice President of Business Development at Groupon, where she was integral to the company’s early success by designing the partnership strategies and closing the major sales that led to Groupon’s stratospheric rise and IPO just four years later. At Groupon, Jayna helped launch various national and local sales strategies and successfully closed the two largest deals to date with national retailers Gap and Nordstrom. She was responsible for generating 25% the company’s net revenue in 2009, and 10% of gross revenue for 2010. Jayna is known as a growth hacker who intuitively harnesses data analysis and metrics to identify opportunities for rapid growth. Her ability to see the big picture and problem-solve has earned her a reputation as a skilled and in-demand advisor and executive.

 

Jayna was an early investor in successful, high-growth companies such as Protein Bar, PopularPays, and Bucketfeet. She frequently provides counsel to other entrepreneurs and enjoys helping founders and business leaders identify areas for disruption. She is a committed philanthropist and a long-time supporter of St. Jude Children’s Hospital. She serves on the Board of Directors for The Chris Gardner Foundation.

 

Previously, Jayna worked at ECHO Global Logistics (ECHS) from its inception in 2005, where her sales and closing abilities earned her the designation as top sales executive, sales trainer, and regional manager and helped the company to go public just four years later. Jayna earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Miami University of Ohio.