Executive Spotlight: Elena Grewal, Founder of Data 2 the People (2027)
Elena Grewal is the founder of Data 2 the People, a data consultancy based in New Haven, Connecticut that describes its mission as empowering people to make better decisions for the public good. Before that she was Airbnb's head of data science, where she joined in 2012 and later led a team of more than 200 people, according to her former high school.
She is also a lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment and the owner of Elena's on Orange, an ice cream shop in New Haven's East Rock neighborhood.
This page uses public professional information only.
Current role and company
Grewal is the founder of Data 2 the People. Hopkins School says she started it in 2019 after leaving Airbnb and returning to New Haven. A January 2025 podcast episode from Delphina introduces her as founder of the firm, a Yale lecturer and owner of the ice cream shop, and the Yale School of the Environment directory lists her as a lecturer in its teaching faculty. We found no newer role.
- Data 2 the PeopleA data consultancy that, per its own site, empowers people to make better decisions for the public good. A course listing says it works on politics, criminal justice, education and climate change.
- Yale School of the EnvironmentLecturer; Hopkins School says she teaches Real World Environmental Data Science, a course she designed.
- Elena's on OrangeAn ice cream shop in East Rock, New Haven, which she opened after noticing an empty storefront during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her personal website says Data 2 the People is based in New Haven and worked on the 2020 elections, and that she chairs the East Rock Community Management Team. The firm's website lists no clients.
Career path
- Education. A UC Berkeley DataEDGE speaker page lists a BA from Yale and an MA in economics and a PhD in education from Stanford.
- Airbnb, from 2012. Hopkins School says she became the company's first data scientist and later head of data science. A course listing says she spent seven years there.
- DataEDGE era. The DataEDGE page describes her as a data science manager who joined when Airbnb had about 200 employees, working on search ranking, the booking experience, host tools and the review system.
- Data 2 the People, from 2019. Founded after Airbnb; a course listing says she co-founded it with Sarah McGowan.
- Yale and New Haven. Lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment. A Yale Earth Week listing from April 19, 2023 names her as a YSE lecturer and founder of Data 2 the People.
- Elena's on Orange. Opened the ice cream shop during the pandemic, according to Hopkins School.
What she is known for
- Data University at Airbnb. A program she started to teach employees at all levels to work with data. A WiDS podcast page says hundreds of people from other companies asked her team for help starting similar programs, and a course listing says it trained hundreds of non-technical people.
- Scaling a data team. Hopkins School says she led a team of more than 200 people at Airbnb.
- Equity work at Airbnb. Her own website says she helped lead efforts to close a gender pay gap and end discrimination against Black customers.
- Public-good data work. Hopkins School says Data 2 the People focuses on social good, including climate change, public education and human rights.
Leadership style and philosophy
These points come from her own interviews and talks.
- Asking for help. At Hopkins School she said of learning from others: "Take it. The point is to learn and grow, not do it yourself." On starting at Airbnb she said she asked her colleagues for help constantly.
- Trust and simplicity. In the Delphina episode she describes trust as the invisible infrastructure that lets data insights influence decisions, advises starting with simple heuristics and "just enough" for the problem at hand, and says embedding data teams with decision-makers early builds that trust.
- Data for everyone. In a 2019 Stanford Engineering article she spoke of enabling every person to think more critically about data.
- Transferable skills. On the WiDS podcast she said career changes are often more about words being different than skills being different.
Key numbers (self-reported and school-reported)
Data 2 the People is private and publishes no financials, so these are career figures from the sources above.
- Joined Airbnb2012, per Hopkins School.
- Team size at AirbnbMore than 200 people, per Hopkins School.
- Time at AirbnbSeven years, per a course listing.
- Founded Data 2 the People2019, per Hopkins School.
What to watch next
Worth tracking: which clients Data 2 the People names publicly, and how her Yale teaching and the ice cream shop evolve.
Questions people ask
Who is Elena Grewal?
She is the founder of Data 2 the People, a former head of data science at Airbnb, a Yale School of the Environment lecturer and the owner of Elena's on Orange ice cream shop.
What does Elena Grewal do now?
She runs Data 2 the People, a New Haven data consultancy, teaches at Yale and owns Elena's on Orange.
What is Data 2 the People?
A data consultancy that says it empowers people to make better decisions for the public good. A course listing says it serves politics, criminal justice, education and climate change projects.
What did Elena Grewal do at Airbnb?
She joined in 2012 and rose to head of data science, leading a team of more than 200 people, per Hopkins School. She also started Data University.
Where did Elena Grewal study?
A BA from Yale, then an MA in economics and a PhD in education from Stanford, per a UC Berkeley DataEDGE speaker page.
Sources
- Hopkins School: Alum Fellow Elena Grewal '02 (2025) · Airbnb, Data 2 the People, ice cream shop, Yale course, quotes
- Delphina High Signal podcast (January 2025) · Current roles and her views on data teams
- Elena Grewal personal website · Bio, community role, Airbnb equity work; headshot
- Data 2 the People website · Firm mission statement
- Maven: Jump Into Data Science in Python · Airbnb tenure, co-founder, focus areas
- Yale School of the Environment directory · Lecturer, teaching faculty
- Yale Earth Week: BIOMES (April 19, 2023) · Titles in 2023
- UC Berkeley DataEDGE speaker page · Education and Airbnb work
- Stanford Engineering (February 2019) · Data University and her quotes
- WiDS Worldwide: From Education to Head of Airbnb Data Science · Data University, career-change quote
Facts were read from the linked pages on October 31, 2026. Some pages were read through a fetch tool that returns summaries, so confirm details on the original page. The hero photo is her own headshot from elenagrewal.com. This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: Elena Grewal (elenagrewal.com)