Founder & CEO of Leap Academy Programs & Podcast, Ilana is disrupting professional education and leading one of the fastest-growing companies in America, according to Inc. She helps thousands of individuals each year navigate career transitions, reinvent themselves, and elevate their reputation and careers. Leap Academy was named Startup of the Year in 2023.
She is a top-ranked podcaster, interviewing global leaders such as Richard Branson, the President of Starbucks, the President of the Obama Foundation, Gary Vaynerchuk, and the founder of Zillow, among others.
A former tech executive turned entrepreneur, board director, and investor in over 100 companies, Ilana has been recognized as one of the Top 40 Women to Watch (2016), a Business Insider Silicon Valley Woman of Influence (2017), and received the prestigious CEO World Award in 2020.
An award-winning international keynote speaker, she has taken the stage at some of the world’s most prominent events, including TechCrunch Disrupt and Inman Connect, and has even delivered a keynote in front of Richard Branson on his private island. She also serves as a mentor in leading startup accelerators such as the Google Accelerator and Singularity University.
She has been featured in major media outlets including Tech Weekly, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Haute Living, LA Magazine, CBS, ABC, and numerous global podcasts.
Prior to Leap Academy, Ilana founded Stiya, which was later acquired. Before that, she founded Quali US, growing it to $15M in annual revenue across five sites. She was also part of Verisity, which was acquired for $350 million. She began her engineering career at Intel as one of the youngest engineers hired.
Earlier in her career, she served as an F-16 flight simulator instructor in the Air Force and became the first female commander in her squadron.
A triathlete, Ironman finisher, and mountain climber, Ilana is passionate about pushing limits and breaking barriers.
