Food has shaped so many of Yorana’s life decisions – after all, everyone needs to eat! Growing up with immigrant parents, food was more than just sustenance; it was culture, community, and connection. Her mom cooked Chinese food and made every meal from scratch, while her dad built a canned foods and vegetables import business.
This interest around the intersection of food, culture, and accessibility drove her to work at Walmart as a Buyer and Site Merchandiser for supplements and functional foods, where she worked with major brands and emerging players to bring products from idea to aisles, both in-store and online. Having experienced both ends of the food supply chain through Walmart and her family’s business, she’s now exploring how technology can untangle the complexity of food logistics, sourcing, and supplier relationships. Whether it’s helping chefs access better ingredients or streamlining how products move from seed to fork, her mission is simple: make the food system work better for everyone in it. Yorana is also currently an MBA student at Harvard Business School.
