Jessica Tenuta

Co-founder; Head of Design, Packback

Chicago

Jessica is the co-founder and Head of Design of Packback. Packback is the first company to offer on-demand One-Day eTextbook Rentals for $5 or less per day, allowing college students to rent their books when they need to read and save their money when they don't. Packback launched publicly in March of 2014, after appearing on the national ABC hit TV show Shark Tank where they signed a deal with Mark Cuban. Packback raised $1.5M in seed funding from Mark Cuban and some of Chicago's most notable investors. Today, Packback helps over 135,000 students nationally save on their college textbooks.

Jessica also has unique experience working in design in venture capital, as an one of two Design Fellows at Lightbank and a Brand Designer at Listen Ventures. During her time in venture capital she worked with more than a dozen brands, including Fooda, Raise, Snapsheet, Factor 75 and Signal (formerly BrightTag). Through her experience as a design co-founder of a start-up and a designer for numerous portfolio companies in two venture capital firms, she has seen first-hand how design can accelerate an early-stage company's growth by creating an emotionally powerful, engaging brand experience.