Anushka Salinas: The Unpaid Intern Who Became CEO

Before she became CEO of Nanit, Anushka Salinas was a first-generation college graduate from New Jersey. Her father was an engineer. Her mother worked in retail. They emphasized education above all, even on modest means.

She excelled in school, earning a BA in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating cum laude. After college, Anushka struggled to land her dream strategy role. Instead, she started as an assistant buyer at Lord & Taylor.

Unhappy with her trajectory, Anushka decided to go back to school — where a chance encounter changed the course of her life.

Anushka Salinas was born in 1983 to Indian immigrant parents in New Jersey. Her father was an engineer. Her mother worked in retail. Resources were modest, but her parents made education the highest priority.

Anushka excelled in school and went on to study economics at the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated cum laude, leaning into her love of numbers. She later pursued her MBA at Columbia Business School, determined to find a path into business leadership.

Her journey, however, wasn’t straightforward. After college, she struggled to land her dream role in strategy. Instead, she accepted a position as an assistant buyer at Lord & Taylor, learning the fundamentals of retail and operations.

During her MBA, Anushka met Jennifer Hyman, the co-founder of a young fashion rental startup called Rent the Runway. At graduation, she made a bold choice. She turned down multiple secure corporate offers to join Rent the Runway as an unpaid intern.

Her first responsibilities were far from glamorous. She packed boxes in the warehouse on Fridays, working alongside the small team to keep the company afloat. But she saw the potential in the mission and committed to the grind.

Over time, she worked her way up to Vice President of Merchandising. After gaining leadership experience at Hudson’s Bay Company and Resonance Companies, she returned to Rent the Runway to build its subscription business.

At Rent the Runway, Anushka created the subscription business from scratch. What started as a small pilot for loyal customers quickly grew into the company’s core engine. Within a few years, subscriptions accounted for more than 80% of total revenue, surpassing $300M annually. The model gave women access to designer wardrobes at an affordable price point and transformed Rent the Runway from a transactional rental service into a lifestyle brand.

As the subscription arm scaled, Anushka built the operational backbone to support it—everything from inventory logistics and supply chain to customer retention and data-driven personalization. She oversaw the expansion of fulfillment centers, the rollout of new membership tiers, and the development of partnerships with major fashion houses that once hesitated to participate.

Her leadership proved critical during periods of turbulence. When the pandemic disrupted retail and consumer behavior, she leaned on data and customer feedback to adapt the subscription program, allowing the company not only to survive but to emerge stronger.

She rose to President and COO, responsible for the entire revenue-generating side of the business. In 2021, she helped guide Rent the Runway through its $1.7 billion IPO, one of the few female-led tech IPOs in history. It was a defining moment—not only for Rent the Runway but also for Anushka’s career as a builder and leader. The IPO validated years of experimentation, grit, and persistence, and placed her among the rare group of women executives to take a consumer tech brand public.

In 2024, Anushka took her biggest leap yet, becoming CEO of Nanit. The company is known as the leading AI-powered baby monitor, using computer vision and data analytics to give parents real-time insights into their child’s sleep, health, and development.

Under her leadership, Nanit has tracked over 4 billion hours of sleep and created more than 20 million memories for families. The company is now valued at more than $300M, cementing its role as the fastest-growing parenting tech startup in the U.S.

For Anushka, the role is deeply personal. As a mother herself, she has worked to ensure Nanit is a company that supports both families using its products and employees inside its walls. She has introduced hybrid work models and prioritized building diverse teams, with a focus on advancing women in leadership.

Anushka has often spoken about the importance of empathy in leadership, balanced with accountability. She believes that great companies are built not only on strong products and clear execution but also on cultures where people feel valued and supported.

At Nanit, she has worked to ensure that inclusivity is not just a goal but a daily practice. She prioritizes building diverse teams where women are not only present but empowered to lead, mentor, and influence key decisions.

Her approach blends compassion with precision. She sets measurable goals, embraces transparency, and grounds the company’s story in the real experiences of parents. By pairing a people-first culture with rigorous execution, she continues to show how empathy and results can go hand in hand.

1. Bet on vision, not security
She turned down stable corporate offers to work as an unpaid intern at a startup.

2. Start at the bottom
From packing boxes in a warehouse to leading IPO prep, she embraced every role.

3. Build systems that scale
She grew Rent the Runway’s subscription arm into a $300M revenue engine.

4. Align work with purpose
At Nanit, her experience as a mother informs the company’s products and culture.

5. Champion inclusive leadership
She actively recruits, mentors, and empowers women across her teams.

Anushka Salinas’s story is a reminder that hard work often matters more than pedigree. She didn’t start with a perfect job title or a clear path into leadership. She started as an unpaid intern, packing boxes in a warehouse and proving herself through grit and persistence.

Her rise shows that leadership isn’t handed to you. Like most things in life, it’s earned. It comes from doing the unglamorous work, learning every part of the business, and refusing to give up when the easier option is to walk away.